A roof that lasts several lifespans begins with quality materials and professional workmanship. But in order to avoid expensive repair costs, damage and general wear and tear, every homeowner needs to know the vital ways to keep their roof clean, insulated, ventilated and protected, now and for years to come.
In this blog, Roofgiant will examine, in detail, a number of important things you can do that will not only improve the longevity of your roof, but protect and even enhance the efficiency of your home in general.
Take Care Of Your Guttering
Cleaning your rainwater system not only serves an aesthetic purpose, it can actually save your home from serious water damage. If you happen to live in a home surrounded by trees, then organic matter such as leaves, twigs, and even nesting materials left by birds can build up, creating areas of standing water and gutter dams. This could damage your gutter structure and even cause water leaks in your home.
The best way to improve your existing guttering is to clear away debris during peak times such as autumn or nesting season, while monitoring, identifying and clearing blockages when you see them. But if you're interested in real rooftop longevity, we suggest installing a stainless steel, zinc or copper gutter from our Metal Guttering range.
Zinc and copper gutters can last 100 years when installed and will protect against algae and fungus while preventing debris from sticking to the surface - this allows anything in your gutter to wash away effectively. They're also future-proofed, looking great on your roof now and in years to come and are completely recyclable.
Trim Surrounding Trees
If you need a fast way to protect your roof, trim away any overhanging branches or leafy boughs. This will prevent debris from directly hitting your roof, reducing the amount of cleaning required while protecting your home as much as possible from potential damage during storms. Trimming back trees will also limit moss and moisture build-up under the shady canopies.
Identify Small-Scale Damage Early
As homeowners, we often avoid getting up on our roofs for a detailed inspection, but providing it's done safely, you may identify small issues before they turn into big problems.
Look out for missing or cracked roof tiles, damaged shingles, warped or splitting lead flashing, crumbling brickwork or even small areas of rot and weakness - all of which could turn into a major costly concern if left unattended. If you can't do any spot-repair work or resealing yourself, contact a roofing professional to prevent long-term issues down the line.
Improve Attic Insulation
In uninsulated homes, a staggering 25% of heat loss occurs through your roof, but did you know that proper loft insulation can actually prevent heat and moisture damage? The root cause of a surprising amount of roof damage actually begins in your attic, with inadequately insulated spaces susceptible to increased heat build-up which can damage shingles and cause moisture and mold to form.
Roofgiant offers a vast selection of unique, cutting-edge roof insulation to suit the size and type of roof space you own. The Quinn Therm QR PIR Insulation Board is one of the most effective high-performance rigid insulation boards available. It will offer you great thermal resistance thanks to the low emissivity composite foil facings on both sides.
SuperFOIL Reflective Bubble Foil Insulation consists of multiple layers of radiant barrier foil, protecting against heat loss through radiation - a feature that non-foil insulation offers no protection against. This option also acts as an air and vapour barrier to prevent draughts and condensation.
Enhance Airflow
Extremes of temperature in the peak of summer and the depths of winter can also cause problems that will affect longevity, unless proper ventilation and airflow methods have been installed.
Poorly ventilated roofs can cause attics to massively overheat in spells of good weather, resulting in heat damage to your roof tiles, weakening shingles and moisture issues, which could damage valuable items stored in your loft space. An overheated attic space can also increase the risk of ice damming in cold weather, where a shelf of ice forms at the roof edge and prevents the melting snow and ice from draining away effectively, causing internal damage to your roof and home.
From Soffit ventilation to over fascia strips, loft trays and tile vents, we offer everything you need to enhance the airflow in your roof and attic in the most convenient way possible and to protect your roof in the long run.
The Klober Loft Ventilation Tray is an easy to install ventilation solution, allowing for enhanced airflow in your roof space. It works by preventing insulation from obstructing the ventilation passageway without needing to disturb the roof covering.
This Redland Double Roman Rapid Roof Vent blends seamlessly into your roofline profile and suits a range of different tile brands.
Book An Annual Roof & Chimney Inspection
If you're serious about looking after your roof or you aren't able to inspect it yourself, we advise yearly inspections to keep on top of roof maintenance issues, big and small.
In our previous blog, 'Why Cleaning Your Chimney In Spring Is Important', we discuss in detail how to look after your chimney, when to book an inspection and why you need to clean your chimney to keep the rest of your house smelling fresh.
Keep Your Roof Clean
Cleaning away moss, dirt and grime is going to prevent your roof from slowly disintegrating into disrepair over time, but there is a right way and plenty of wrong ways to go about it.
Using pressure washers is, for the most part, something to be avoided as the likelihood of flooding your home, as well as tile and roof damage, is so great. If in doubt, always consult a professional roof cleaning company whenever you don't know what you're doing.
You can, however, try to remove moss yourself using a simple homemade solution: Pour a gallon of water into a bucket, add 450g of salt, a tablespoon of vinegar and a little soap. Using a garden sprayer, apply the solution evenly over your roof and give it a couple of days before rinsing off with water and raking away the moss. Repeat if and when necessary. One of the advantages of using a homemade solution is that it contains fewer harsh chemicals compared to generic store-bought alternative that could cause a toxic runoff onto your garden
Caring, restoring and treating lead flashing is straightforward with help from Midland Lead Cleaning Gel. All you need to do is use a nylon brush or fine wire wool to apply the gel and, according to the severity of the stains, scrub the treatment into the lead to bring back its natural lustre.
You can also use the cleaning gel as a preparation base for patination oil to shield against unsightly white carbonate staining.
