What Is The Importance Of Regular Roof Maintenance?

“It’s easy to be cheerful when you have a roof over your head.”

Roofs have always been a critical component of any home, keeping us safe from adverse weather elements. Yet, they are also one of the least thought of parts of our home given that we do not spend must time looking at them or standing on them. When neglected, our roofs like any asset will break down and lose their functionality.

As such, it is vital that you are aware of the causes of roof damage and how you can protect your roof against them. In this article, we shall cover the dangers that water and debris pose to your roof and the importance of regular maintenance by a waterproofing contractor.

The Importance of a Roof

A roof keeps out rain, direct sunlight, wind and other adverse elements from your home.

Blocking out Sunlight

Without a roof, the hot Singapore sunlight will be free to pour right into your living room and bedroom. Those blinding rays would be highly disruptive to your daily activities while also exponentially increasing the temperature within the space. Just imagine how unhealthy it would be to constantly have direct sun rays on your skin all day long.

Saving you from Rain & a Storm

Your roof is what stands between you and a completely flooded home during a downpour. Not only would you be soaked without a roof, your electronic devices would be rendered inoperable. It probably would not be necessarily to elaborate on how miserable life would be if you could not use your devices each time it rained.

Furthermore, water in large volumes in your home would cause harm to the infrastructure. In a worse case scenario, the infrastructure will be weakened significantly leading to a collapse of structures within your home.

Causes of Roof Damage

Your roof can be damaged due to a number of different culprits. Commonly though, it is foreign debris and excess water that causes the most damage.

Foreign Debris

Foreign debris that lands on your roof could damage its tiles or materials. Commonly, tree branches are blown off from trees during storms, landing on your roof’s tiles with a heavy impact. This might cause chipping or weaken them significantly that they are quickly worn down during subsequent storms.

It is also possible that if you were to be on your roof conducting activities or inspecting it, you might step on a weaken part causing it to break.

Rain & Water Damage

As alluded to before, water is a damaging element against your home, including that of your roof. Most roofs are designed to be waterproofed or resistant, however over time, they can be worn down. If so, water will slowly start to leak or penetrate past the surface of your roof.

Once inside, water and moisture become highly mobile, capable of travelling through the smallest of cracks and going in all directions due to a capillary effect. In the long run, the highly moist and dark environment allows for mould and mildew growth, which weakens your home’s structure.

Preventing Water Leakages Through Your Roof

Regular roof maintenance is required in order to ensure its waterproofing functionality. 4 main areas are addressed during roof maintenance: repairing damaged tiles, ensuring proper fall path, clearing choked drainage and reapplying waterproofing material.

Repairing Damaged Tiles

As covered before, your roof’s tiles may have been damaged due to falling debris, leading to small cracks that water can seep through. Part of the roof maintenance process involves inspecting every part of your roof for holes and having them repaired. Other than replacement, the new roof tiles would also require waterproofing coating in order to ensure their resistance against rainwater.

Ensuring Proper Fall Path

A fall path refers to the designated path by which water is led away from a roof. A good fall path reduces the amount of time that water is in contact with your roof. In doing so, the pressure that your roof faces is minimised while no build-up of water occurs in any space on your roof.

If your roof’s fall path is not correctly diverting water away or allowing excess build up, then structural changes will need to be made. Often times, this is determined by through a visual inspection and possibly a trial & error approach.

Clearing Choked Drainage

One of the biggest culprits of roof leakages is choked drainage. All roofs have designated drainage points that help to remove the bulk of rainwater from it. However, these drainage points are prone to choking by foreign debris such as leaves. When leaves cover the drainage point, the rate of water flow is slowed down significantly.

Subsequently, water is allowed to build up on the roof, forming into pools. Pools place tremendous pressure on your waterproofing system and will surely lead to leaking in the long run. As such, it is advised that you regularly check your drainage points to clear them of any debris.

Reapplying Waterproofing Material

Lastly, your waterproofing specialist will need to reapply layers of waterproofing membrane. This helps to keep your roof completely watertight. Membranes require technical expertise in order to be applied correctly but do last for a significant amount of time. This is due to their strong adhesive bonding as well as resistance to external forces such as UV rays and physical force.

Depending on the characteristics of your home, your waterproofing company will advise on the most appropriate type of waterproofing membrane to be applied to it. Additionally, a warranty may be provided post waterproofing in order to ensure the safety of your home.

Choose ProSeal Contracts For Your Waterproofing Needs

ProSeal Contracts is a waterproofing company in Singapore with more than 20 years’ experience. As one of the leading waterproofing contractor companies, we use the highest quality of materials to ensure long lasting results. Trust us to assess, choose and apply the right waterproofing procedures for your building’s needs.

For more information on roof leakages, you can read: https://proseal.com.sg/what-to-do-if-your-roof-is-leaking/