Whether you have a home or a business, there is some maintenance that you need to schedule. While homeowners may worry about dusting, and business owners schedule changing their filters, everyone needs to worry about their roof. That’s right, the often forgotten but always present, roof.
What consists of roof maintenance? These are common aspects of roofing maintenance that every property owner should consider scheduling regularly:
- Spring check for winter damage
- Draining system cleaning and repair
- Roofing material assessment
- Ice dam clearing
From this quick list, you may have guessed that most of these fall into Spring scheduled repairs. However, you can work to schedule these during season changes as well.
1. Plan for Maintenance and Installation of Preventative Measures Together
Regardless of which seasons you’re between, you want to pair maintenance, installation, and repairs together. After an inspection you may want to jump on repairs right away but waiting may be more beneficial.
For example, if you have a roof inspection in Spring, you can go through Summer knowing that you won’t face severe ice damage. In that line of thought, you can schedule shingle repair at the same time that you schedule the installation of a heating line in your gutter system.
When you map out maintenance and installation services together, you can manage your time and the time of the roofing contractors. Additionally, you can use inspections to plan for repairs over a few months rather than making emergency repairs, which can cost substantially more.
2. Take Advantage of Dry Seasons for Inspections
Not only do you want to avoid calling out roofers during poor weather, but you want to ensure that your roofing inspection is thorough. Commercial buildings will require regular inspections, often to maintain their property insurance. However, homeowners will often go years between roofing inspections.
Dry seasons make it a good time for any property owner to get a comprehensive and thorough inspection. During generally “good” weather, an inspector will be able to identify any areas of concern.
Most people will use the few weeks of dry weather at the beginning of fall or the beginning of winter. However, the few weeks in March when temperatures begin to climb out of the winter cold but have little rain also make for an excellent time to schedule inspection.
3. Repair or Replace Shingles in Early Summer
Why not replace shingles right after winter? Why go through Spring with potentially broken shingles? If you scheduled your roofing inspection at the beginning of winter, you likely have a good idea of the condition of your roof.
However, because winter can take such a toll on roofs, it’s likely that you had a few broken shingles through the season. Unfortunately, Spring brings in a ton of rain, so between the ice melting and the heavy rains coming in you don’t have much of a window to schedule these repairs.
Avoid scheduling roof repairs during times of inclimate weather. Instead, schedule these repairs for the beginning of Summer, which is usually dry and still in the reasonable outdoor temperature range. Do be wary of scheduling services in July as some days may be simply too hot for contractors to work safely.
4. Clear Drainage Systems in Late Summer
Your drainage system, whether it’s for a commercial building or a simple gutter system at home needs regular attention. Without proper maintenance, your drainage system will back up and without doubt, lead to extensive water damage.
What comes with this type of maintenance? For business owners, the drainage system will likely have a series of drainage pipes which need cleaning and after ice dams, repair. Gutters work very similarly although homeowners can usually tell when their gutters have taken on the damage.
In late Summer it’s likely that your systems have become host to a variety of pests, nests, and general debris such as leaves. Clear out the systems early on in the season.
Contact the Professionals
Homeowners will often try to take on roof maintenance as a weekend DIY project. Roofing maintenance, repair, and even inspection can be dangerous. Always call a professional roofing contractor to handle your roofing needs.
Although Summer is upon us that doesn’t mean that you’re free from home care needs, this time of the year is the best moment to schedule roofing maintenance before heavy rains come in towards the end of Summer. To learn more about scheduling roofing repair, maintenance, or replacement, call Anderson Metal Roofing & Shingles now.
