How to Conduct a Basic Roof Inspection Yourself

by Kevin Smith Author

Your home’s roof is one area that often gets overlooked. At least once a season, however, you should take a few moments and give your roof a look-see and you should do a thorough inspection after any major storm. A quick inspection is a very important part of maintaining residential roofing in Ocala, FL; follow the steps below to make sure your roof is the best shape possible.

Flashing

You should look for broken or missing caulk around the flashing seams. Also, rust spots on flashing can indicate weakened or compromised areas. Ignoring either can lead to leaks.

Shingles

Buckling, curling or blistering are the primary indicators of a problem with shingles as are missing or broken shingles. The risk with shingles is two-fold:

Leaks,
The damage spreads to other portions of your roof.

While addressing any damage on your roof is very important, making sure you quickly and professionally address damaged shingles is paramount.

Vent Piping

Besides damage to the pipe itself, the other risk here is that the rubber boots or sealant rot. A compromised vent pipe can result in leaking directly into your home’s attic or crawl space.

Chimney

The chimney has a lot of components that can go wrong. One common issue is that the chimney cap becomes damaged or goes missing. Another area is any connector points between the chimney and your roof; look for sealant or flashing that has degraded, cracked or is missing. Leaking between the chimney and your roof as well as letting rain down your chimney are the risks here.

Moss or Lichen

Generally, neither is a risk to your roof. They need to be looked at, though, because in some cases, it can be a signal that the roof is decaying under the shingles. If that is the case, you could be looking at a sizeable and expensive project, so if you think the rot is an issue, call a professional.

Gutters

You should inspect your gutters and ensure they are properly attached to your roof. Unattached gutters can lead to blockages which can cause overflows and in extreme cases, pooling at the foundation of the house. That can be disastrous in terms of repairs.

Additionally, inspect the insides of your gutters and look for broken asphalt pieces and asphalt chips. Those are almost always an sign that shingles are breaking somewhere. Piles of the sand-like debris is an indicator that the sun is breaking down your shingles.

Ensuring your residential roofing Ocala, FL, remains in as good a shape as possible requires professional care, but you can help as well. Perform these basic inspections to help identify problems before they become a crisis!