Asphalt Shingle Maintenance Mistakes to Avoid

Many homeowners make use of asphalt shingles as the roofing materials for their homes, this is because of their fair pricing, easy installation and reliability, and durability it offers. Also, it offers a variety of textures and designs. Asphalt shingles have a life expectancy of 20 years and can even last much longer than that if properly maintained. 

Maintenance of asphalt shingles is quite easy so far you know the maintenance mistakes you must avoid. 

In this post, you will get to find out those asphalt maintenance mistakes you should avoid. By the way, get the best roofer Brookline.

Delayed Maintenance

One of the worst and yet most common mistakes many homeowners do make is starting to get around to maintenance once they start seeing problems. You should have a maintenance schedule that will allow you to catch issues at the bud before they become grave damage requiring costly and time-consuming repair.  

Walking on the Roof

While you may think this is unavoidable, there is a need for you to inspect and check for signs of damages such as cracked, curling, blistered, or missing shingles, algae growth, pooling water, roof debris, and damaged flashing. It Is not always right to do so as these may lead to further cracking when you step on the shingles. 

Apart from trying to damage your roof with your foot traffic, your safety and health might also be at risk (slip and fall). To inspect your roof, make use of a binocular and be at a safe spot. 

Clogged Gutters 

You may think gutters are separate components of your roofing system, but that’s not the case. When gutters become congested by leaves and other debris, rainwater backs up and overflows. This will lead to moisture damage which is likely to extend to the roof structure thus weakening it. 

Ignoring Debris

Leaves and other organic debris on your roof may look all so innocent and harmless but can certainly be a cause of rotting. When these pile up together, they give room for moisture that will probably seep into the shingles and damage them. 

High-Pressure Wash

Many homeowners think the next step when they notice mildew or algae infestations on their roof is to power wash it off. While this may seem like the best method to many, it causes damage to the top layer of shingles and allows water to get trapped in them which will lead to further damages such as leaks and rot. 

Simple brushing off of patches of algae and spraying the affected areas with a mixture of bleach and water will do the trick. You can also hire the service of a professional who will help prevent future occurrences of the same. 

Pulling Off Shingles 

Having noticed a leak and you’re attempting to do the fix yourself; you might think the best thing to do is to remove the shingles with the hope of finding the source of the problem. Don’t do that, pulling off shingles will do more harm than good to your roof. To avoid additional leaks, hire the service of a professional to look into the problem and conduct a proper inspection.