Chimney Flashing and Tile Roofing: Maintenance is a Must!

If your tile roof is starting to have some leaks around your chimney, it may warrant looking up on the roof or have a professional roofing contractor look for you. Too often do homeowners want to blame it on poor installation. If you have an older home, that probably isn’t the case. 

It could be that your tile roof simply needs to be cleaned. Or, perhaps the chimney flashing needs to be repaired or replaced. There is no way to know until it has been looked at.

What many roofing contractors find is that it is from rain, melted ice, or melted snow running over the channel flashing. Channel flashing is located under the side tiles. At the chimney’s corner, water will run off the chimney cricket almost at a horizontal direction to the side channel flashing and the vertical tiles.

As that water runs down, it collects debris such as leaves and trees and over time, it all builds up under the upper tiles, creating a dam next to the flashing that is raised up. The water will get pushed over the dammed flashing and find its way under the field tiles.

If the tar paper has any holes, the water will find its way there and cause the nails to start rusting, then rotting through the wood. The smallest of holes can start creating the biggest leaks in the roof decking. While it may be slow and unnoticed, the roof boards and the rafters begin to rot and the insulation starts soaking up water. Before you know it, it has made its way onto the ceiling and into your house.

You can fix it cheaply by smearing a tar substance product around the chimney and side tiles. Or, that can make the problem worse. Therefore, it is best to have a professional roofing contractor come look at your roof – most offer a free estimate.

Downspouts and Rain: It Can Be Artistic

Downspouts and rain gutters aren’t anything new. They have been around for what may seem like forever. They are how we control water that drains from the roof and gets it away from the house. When there aren’t any downspouts or gutters, rainwater or melted ice and snow can do a lot of damage to your home and landscaping.

Usually, on commercial and public buildings, you’ll see their downspouts and gutters have an architectural stone sculpture, usually depicted by some animal head, especially on historical buildings. Downspouts have been made from a variety of materials including chains, clay, copper, steel pipes, stone, and even wood.

You can also find decorative pieces to place at the end of the downspout to fit into your garden and landscaping. Some homeowners have set up containers to collect that water and reuse it to water their gardens and yards. The water coming off the roof isn’t clean by any means, so you wouldn’t want to use it for bathing or consuming.  But for outdoor use, it is perfectly fine.

If you don’t have a gutter system in place, it would be to your advantage to get some quotes from a professional roofing contractor for installing one. If you have one in place, it is money well spent to have it examined by a contractor, as well.

Keep Your Skylights Clean to Get the Most From Them

There isn’t much to maintain skylights, for the most part. The exterior frame is usually aluminum and will last for years without ever needing any maintenance or upkeep. But the area where the light comes in is usually acrylic, glass, or polycarbonate. These are durable surfaces that last for years and years, but they do need cleaning occasionally.

Do Skylights Need Cleaning?

Skylights on residential structures are either laminated or tempered glass panels which can be cleaned using a mild soap and water. You should never clean them with anything that is abrasive or use a razor blade, which could scratch the glass and/or coating.

Acrylic Skylight

Acrylic or plastic skylights need more specific care when cleaning them. Use only mild detergent and water. Never use any window cleaner or anything that has an alcohol or petroleum base in the product.

Maintaining Your Skylight

Residential skylights are almost maintenance-free.  If you have an older skylight, it may have a clear paraffin-based sealer that wasn’t painted. You may choose to have yours painted, and it is recommended that you have a professional do this for you.  A professional will know what to look for in the way of damage or rot.

If you have vented skylights with hinges and a support mechanism, never let anything obstruct them from opening and closing.

A Worn Looking Roof Doesn’t Mean Time For Replacing It

You were out mowing or raking leaves, looked up at your roof and noticed it was looking tired and worn out.  Then the dread of getting a new roof washed over you.  Well, good news! Simply because it is looking somewhat unsightly, doesn’t mean you need to replace it - maybe.

It may need only a thorough cleaning! From time to time, you power wash your home and the surrounding deck and walkways to get a fresh look. Well, the same could be possible for your roof, too. Too often, homeowners replace the roof on their home without even thinking about just cleaning it.

A good cleaning doesn’t just give your home a good look, but it will save you thousands while adding years to your roof. It is an option to consider before you get that new roof. A new roof may be necessary if you have missing shingles or your roof is 25 years old or older. Or, if you see flipped up tabs or brittle shingles, a roof replacement may be necessary.

By having your roof washed, you can achieve the following:

1. A polished look

Having your roof thoroughly cleaned will remove those black stains that are also known as magma. It also removes that algae and moss that builds up over time. A professional roof cleaner will use a biodegradable chemical that will clean your roof and have a minimal residual effect.

2. Protection for Your Roof

Your roof protects you and your family, but what protects it? Having a professional out to reapply the biodegradable chemical cleaner once a year is a great protector for your roof. It will prevent small problems from becoming large problems which will extend the life of your roof.

3. Cheaper to Keep Her

As they say in divorce court – it’s cheaper to keep her. Same can be said about cleaning your roof. It is cheaper to clean it than to replace it.

4. Warranty Effectiveness

A regular cleaning is usually recommended by roofing material manufacturers. Think of it in the same manner how you get a tune-up on your car every 100,000 miles.

The Big Debate: Hand Nail or Nail Gun – Which is Best for Roofing?

The manufacturers of roofing materials claim that either way is good when installing a new roof. They have performed thorough testing which validated that either method works with their roofing materials. Where the debate comes into play, is when you ask roofing contractors. You will get different opinions because some are pro hand gun and others are pro nail gun.

For hundreds of years, when shake roofs were first produced, hand nailing was the primary method. Then in the 1950s, nail guns came on to the scene, and for the next few decades, roofing contractors around the country adopted the tool. Now, more than 60 years later, many roofing contractors have gone back to hand nailing.

So Why the Debate?

For an asphalt shingle to be installed properly, the roofer needs to drive the nails into the shingle that is perpendicular to the roof pitch, making sure the nail head is flush to the roof decking. For proper installation, the nail should be down a certain depth but not break through the shingle’s top layers and yet, set solidly into the wood decking.

Hand Nailing

The experienced roofing contractor can set the nails with hand nailing the right angle, in the right spots, to the right depth. They will know if the nail hit the wood decking. The more skilled a roofer is, the quicker they get at this process. However, it is more labor intensive and takes longer.

Nail Gun

The problems of using a nail gun installation are higher, starting with the fact that the roofer isn’t able to feel the nail hitting the wood decking. If the nail gun is held at the wrong angle, the nails are driven in at odd angles and may break the shingle’s top layers. The nail gun compressor has to be set at careful adjustments to ensure the nail is inserted completely and flush to the surface.

Depending on the type of wood, roofing material, and the weather, roofers often have to change those adjustments. When an inexperienced roofer is using a nail gun, or an experienced roofer is hurried, the shingles may be installed incorrectly. Using a nail gun does make the job quicker, which reduces labor costs.

Are You Ready to Hang Holiday Lights Yet?

We realize you’re just getting ready for Halloween, but that is the start of the holiday season and before you know it, it will be time to hang those holiday lights on the house! Before you grab your hammer, ladder, nails, and climb up on the roof, we have a few suggestions for you.

Safety is Number One: Don’t start the holidays off in the hospital! Be sure the ladder is placed on level ground, securing it with cords or a rope to your home and the ground. This will keep it from shifting and leaning back or over. Also, before you climb that ladder with the lights, test them out on the ground to make sure they light up, and there aren’t any frayed cords.

Do Not Use Hammer and Nails: Using nails can put holes in the fascia, roof, or siding, which can
cause leaks and water damage. There are plenty of products on the market today where you can clip your lights to the eaves or gutters.

Plug Them In: Once all the lights are in place, turn them on. If they trip a breaker, you may need to remove some lights or redistribute them to other outlets to spread the amps they are pulling.

Remember: If you aren’t comfortable with heights, hire a professional!

Your Hair can Curl, but Your Roof Shouldn’t!

A roof with curling shingles is a sign that something isn’t right. When the shingles curl up and are left that way, it is a prime opportunity for rain, snow, and wind to get under them and seep down to the decking, then on into the attic. As soon as you notice any curling shingles, call a roofing contractor immediately and have your roof inspected.

What Causes Curling Shingles?

Most of the time, it is old age. There isn’t anything that will last forever, except maybe love and taxes. But when it comes to roofing, the shingles start to get dried out and the nails used to hold them get loose and start coming out. If only one, two or three shingles are curling and damaged, a simple repair job may be sufficient.

For a fairly new roof that has curling shingles, it may be from improper installation. You should contact the contractor that installed the roof and request an inspection and repair. Sadly, if you used an unknown contractor, you could be out of luck and will need to find a different contractor. This is why it is important to use a certified, licensed, reliable contractor and check their references.

Poor ventilation is another common problem found with curling shingles. Before you have a new roof installed, have the contractor check your attic to make sure it has adequate ventilation. When there aren’t enough of the right vents in the attic, it can cause hot air to build up which will rise to the top.

During the cold weather, warm air in your attic (because it can’t vent out) will cause the ice and snow to melt on the roof. That water will then run down until it hits ice or snow that is still formed, creating a dam. It then sits there and begins to seep under the shingles, and the adhesive is loosened.