Construction & Contractors Blog
Roof leak prevention is often seen as a big project. You may picture a roofer spending an entire day sealing various areas or repairing broken shingles. Sometimes, these large leak prevention tactics are necessary. But in many cases, you can prevent and reduce the risk of roof leaks with some smaller projects that only take a few hours or less. In fact, you can probably tackle each of these leak prevention projects on a weeknight!
Clean the Gutters
Cleaning the gutters is a maintenance task that is often described as a preventative measure for your siding and foundation. But while clean gutters do help protect your foundation and siding, they also help protect your roof. Clear gutters ensure water drains off the roof properly so you don't get mushy, peeling shingles that then lead to leaks.
All you need to clean your gutters is a ladder, some good gloves, and a bucket. Have a friend or family member hold your ladder for safety, and then climb on up. Scoop the gunk out of the gutter, drop it in the bucket, and move down the line until your gutters are clean.
Sweep the Roof
Sweeping off the roof may seem like a strange thing to do. If you live in a pretty windy area, you may never have to do this. However, if there has not been any wind for a while, but your trees have been losing leaves, then you should sweep the roof. You want to remove any leaves and debris before they get a chance to trap moisture and keep the shingles wet.
If you have a one-story home, you may be able to use a step ladder and an ordinary broom to sweep most of your roof. If you have a taller home, you may need to buy a roof broom — a long-handled broom made specifically for roof sweeping.
Pound Down Raised Nails
This one requires you to actually get on the roof, so you should only complete the project if you have a relatively low-slope roof and feel comfortable up on that roof. You won't see the heads of raised nails since they are under other shingles, but you will see little bumps or raised areas over the spots where the raised nails are.
Just go around with a hammer, and pound those nails back down. This will help keep water from leaking in around the nail heads, and it will keep the shingles from lifting up any further from raised nails.
If you spend just a weeknight now and then thinking about and caring for your roof, your risk of leaks will go down. Contact a local residential roofing company to learn more.
Share31 March 2021
My name is Debbie Greenberg. I’m a single woman who owns her home, and like most homeowners I dread home repairs. I’m not very handy with do-it-yourself projects around the house. I can do a few minor repairs when necessary, but for the most part I have to call in a professional. Last year I had a leak in my roof. When it rained, water would leak into my kitchen. What appeared to be a simple fix turned out to be anything but simple. It took over four months to finally identify the problem, and double the money I was initially quoted to fix it. The problem ended up being that the flat part of my roof didn't have shingles, but a sheeting material. I learned a bit about home roofs along the way, and that is what I want to share with you.
