Roofing Tips From the Experts

A Slideshow by TAMKO Building Products

Wanting to become your family’s personal handy-person is a great goal, but there are several dangers that come along with the job. These risks are only multiplied when working in positions high above the ground, such as on your house’s roof. To prevent putting yourself in danger, or potentially damaging your home, consider the following tips provided by TAMKO Building Products.

Learning to Know your Roof

Haste Makes WasteRushing can be a detriment to roofing in several ways. Working on a roof that is still moist, rickety, or rotten can cause slip or fall related accidents that end in hospital visits. Likewise, trying to get a job done as quickly as possible only means making more mistakes. Instead of rushing into an injury, take your time and plan our exactly what you’re going to do. Once you have a plan set up, follow each step carefully.

Locating a LeakIf you’re trying to patch up a leak, but aren’t entirely sure where it’s coming from, begin spraying water onto the roof from a hose. Find where the water is entering the house, and mark it for future repair. Remember, don’t begin working until the roof has had time to completely dry!

Repair Roof BootsThe most obvious places to begin looking for leaks are the flashing, roofing, ice damping and skylights. If none of these locations appear to be the problem, perhaps you overlooked the rubber boots on your roof. Where the roof fence comes there are boots that may dry up and cause major leaks. By purchasing a new roof boot you can do the simple replacement yourself. It may be necessary to remove some of the shingles to lay fresh tar under it so that it will stay in place.

Prevent Dry RotOne of the biggest misconceptions in roofing is the origins of dry rot. Dry rot occurs due to lack of ventilation, not water damage. To prevent it from happening, install a ridge vent, which will only work if there is a soffit vent. You will need to drill holes through the soffit vents to allow cool air to enter through the bottom and pushes the hot air out through the top.

The most important thing to remember when working on your roof is to keep a level head. Getting ahead of yourself, rushing, or cutting corners will only end in disaster for you or your home. Years of experience have made it clear to the experts at TAMKO; roofing complaints due to mistakes made in haste can be avoided by keeping your cool. The next time you find yourself pulling out the tools to take care of a roofing issue, remember not to bring the biggest problem with you.

Remain Level Headed