In a city like Toronto, where lake effect snow, spring downpours, and high winds buffet houses for much of the year, it is essential to inspect roofs regularly to ensure they are providing maximal protection.
Damage to roofs is costly, and the longer you wait before fixing broken shingles or leaking gutters, the more expensive repairs will be. To help you avoid significant maintenance work down the road, here are five roof care tips to help Toronto homeowners keep their roofs in the best possible condition this spring.
1. Make Sure You Have Enough Ventilation
A roof needs to provide protection, but it also needs to be porous enough to let heat rising from inside the living space escape into the atmosphere. When hot, damp air has nowhere to go, moisture damage is sure to follow. Installing new ridge venting is a great way to make sure your roof keeps the water out without keeping warm air in.
2. Check for Damaged Flashing
Vulnerable areas of the roof such as valleys, plumbing stacks, and the joints where dormer windows or chimneys meet the deck are given added protection through the use of rubber or metal flashing. Designed to last for decades, this flashing is an essential component of your roof system.
But over time flashing can become damaged, compromising the watertightness of the roof as a whole. While caulking can be used to plug these gaps in the short term, you will want to get in touch with roofing experts in Toronto who offer repairs to replace worn out components if you want to keep the rain out.
3. Clean Your Eavestroughs and Downspouts
Your roof system is designed to channel water safely away from your house, and your eavestroughs and downspouts play an important role in making sure that runoff doesn’t weaken your foundation. But gutters can easily become clogged with dead leaves and other debris, so make sure to clean them out every spring and autumn.
4. Look Out for Organic Matter
Everyone loves to see wild plants sprouting up in the spring, but when weeds and grasses start growing on your roof, it’s a sign that the time has come to replace it. If you have vegetation growing on your roof or from your gutters, call Toronto roofers to come inspect the damage.
5. Upgrade Your Insulation
Toronto has many older homes built in the mid twentieth century, and if you live in one of them you’ve probably experienced the shocking disparity in insulation between different rooms.
Older houses are often poorly or inconsistently insulated, and this can cause problems for your roof. In addition to making sure that your attic is sufficiently ventilated, it is also important to make sure that the living space is protected with high R-value insulation to keep as much of the heat as possible from passing into the uninsulated part of your attic.
Taking a little extra time in the spring and fall to inspect your roof will pay dividends in the long run by helping you catch small problems before they become expensive liabilities. If you’ve noticed a problem with any part of your roof, book a professional consultation with a Toronto roofing company today.
