Come rain or shine, a building’s roof protects lives and property from nature’s harsh elements. Adequately caring for this important part of your home requires inspecting it when specific issues emerge.
Doing so ensures that your building’s insulation, structure, and everything within are protected. This article discusses signs that will indicate the need to get a Residential Roofing expert for inspection. Continue reading to learn more.
When to Call for a Residential Roofing Inspection
Nobody intends to have his/her building’s roofing integrity compromised. However, actions matter more than intentions. This means that instead of just thinking it, you should quickly contact your residential roofing expert for inspection if you notice any of the following signs:
Missing, Curled, or Cracked Shingles
Your roof’s ability to repel water can be adversely impacted by any of these. It could then lead to weakened protection, as the water leak continues from up there.
Missing, curled, or cracked shingles often indicate specific problems. If it has not happened already, missing shingles indicate that water might start seeping into the building. Curled shingles can lead to poor ventilation and heat damage.
Cracked shingles can be an indication that your roof is aging and requires significant repairs or replacement. This could also mean that a recent storm took its toll on your roofing, leaving it in its current state.
Granules in Downspouts/Gutters
Granules make up one of the few layers of the shingle’s roof. As the outer layer, its presence or absence shows the state of this type of roofing.
The shingle’s granules play the key role of protecting it from harsh weather conditions, including UV rays. Consequently, treat the presence of this outer layer in downspouts/gutters seriously.
This means that your roof is seriously exposed and significantly less effective. So, have your residential roofing expert carry out an inspection as soon as possible.
Damage to Flashing
You need to properly seal the areas around skylights, chimneys, vents, and other similar roof-position facilities. Failure to do this means that water could get in through these exposed joints.
We often use specially designed metal strips, known as flashing, for this purpose. It therefore, means that any damage to these metal strips can create cracks from which your roofing can begin to leak.
Such compromised flashing often causes a lot of interior water damage. As a result, do not take rust, cracking, lifting, and other damage on flashing lightly.
Unfortunately, properly inspecting this crucial part of a building’s roofing can only be handled by professionals who know what to look out for. For information on its proper inspection, you can check: https://www.nachi.org/.
Uneven or Sagging Roofline
The roof has its way of revealing structural problems. Uneven or sagging rooflines are one of the possible signs that something is wrong beneath the surface.
So, when you notice an uneven or saggy roofline, your residential roofing expert’s inspection might reveal more than just roof issues. It might help reveal some other structural issues that need to be resolved.
There are also situations where the issue is with the roof and nothing else. It could be a result of water infiltration, compromised rafters, or even damaged decking. However, you would never know unless an expert conducts a thorough inspection, which would then inform your next steps.
Water Stains on Walls or Ceilings
Water would not just spring from thin air. So, if you notice water on the walls or ceilings, then it has to have come from somewhere, and a roof leak is a possibility.
You should, therefore, have an expert inspect it to be certain. Aside from roof leaks, other possible reasons for water on walls or ceilings include leaks from:
- Plumbing Pipes and/or Fixtures
- Appliances – Such as washing machines and water heaters
- Condensation
- Issues with Exterior Grading/Drainage
This situation can discolor your walls or ceilings, causing them to appear brown or yellow. You may also notice spread patches or rings. Just make sure an expert traces the reason for this issue and takes the necessary action afterward.
Peeling Paint
Moisture’s effect, as a result of a leaking roof, can cause the wall paint to begin to peel especially around those areas close to the ceiling. This often signals a prolonged issue, so take it seriously by having it looked at immediately.
Mold Growth or Musty Odors in the Attic
The attic is closest to the roof, which means that the roof’s condition largely determines its state. You should therefore know that a leaking roof can lead to mold growth or musty odors in your attic.
Poor attic ventilation can usually worsen the mold growth concern, increasing the musty odor. You can check here to find out how poor ventilation can contribute to mold growth and musty odor problems.
Conclusion
In addition to having your roof inspected if you notice any of these signs discussed here, make sure to hire the right residential roofing expert for the inspection task. For safety, thoroughness, preventive maintenance, warranty protection, and your peace of mind, this is important. So, keep this in mind when you search for roofing professionals to conduct roof inspections.
