When the rainy season arrives, your roof will be the one thing standing between your home and the thousands of litres of water that come pouring down every minute. Consider your roof the primary defence system against the weather. That’s why roofs are built to be so tough. However, even the toughest roof will succumb to the elements if it isn’t properly reinforced. There are certain measures you should take before to rainy season to make sure it is truly weatherproof. Here are some examples.
Equip it with underlayment
Your roof deck isn’t completely impervious to moisture. When the weather turns sour enough, it’s possible for heavy rains to penetrate the roof and deck. This is an enormous problem in areas that are prone to heavy rains, as it can ruin the roof and attic rather quickly.
An effective solution would be to add another layer of waterproof material between the roof and deck. This solution is called and underlayment. It’s an added layer of protection against rain and moisture. However, keep in mind that an underlayment won’t protect your roof from rain if the tiles aren’t whole. The first line defence are the tiles and they need to take the brunt of the storm. The underlayment acts as a failsafe for water and moisture, preventing them from getting any deeper. Even with an added layer of protection, you need to inspect the roof for moisture damage from time to time.
Make it fireproof
While fire isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you’re thinking of ways to protect your roof, it should. Many areas are prone to wildfires which can devastate a home in a very short amount of time.
Homeowners believe that they are safe simply because the main fire is often a long distance away and they are surrounded with fire-resistant materials. However, this doesn’t protect you from the very real threat of the fire spreading. Even when there’s no direct avenue for the fire to reach your home, embers can still find their way here. They get carried by wind and eventually hit a target, which often the roof of a home.
By fireproofing your roof with flame-resistant materials, you’re guaranteeing that these embers won’t end up doing a lot of damage to your home. At worst, you might lose parts of your roof, but the rest of your home will remain safe from fires.
Cover vulnerable areas
As most homeowners are aware, roofs don’t completely cover your home. There are certain parts that remain uncovered to make way for chimneys, windows, and various types of piping. These areas are prone to leakages as they are effectively weak points in the roof. To protect them and prevent moisture from seeping through, homeowners need to install flashing around them.
There are various different materials that can be used as roof flashing. Finding the right one will depend on the weather and your budget. A lot of homeowners use durable lead flashing for their home’s roof, due to its versatility. It’s both tough and long-lasting, which are attractive attributes for roof flashing. Different materials will have different pricing, but you need to keep in mind that your flashing has to last a long while to pay off. If you’re constantly installing cheaper options, replacing them when they fail or fixing your roof is going to cost you more in the end.
Install gutter guards
Your gutters serve an absolutely essential role in the protection of your roof. They carry away any excess water that builds up on your roof and divert that moisture to your yard. This helps keep water off your roof and makes it easier for it to fight off heavy rains. Unfortunately, gutters often run into problems during autumn and winter seasons, as they can get clogged. A clogged gutter is as good as gone, which means water is free to pile up on your roof. This causes it to penetrate it and cause moisture damage to your home.
To prevent this, you need to install mechanisms to protect your gutters. Gutter guards are one of these and they’re extremely useful for preventing leaves and twigs from piling up. They can even limit the amount of damage snow does to the gutters. Gutter guards serve as a fence that prevents the buildup of dirt. All in all, they’re a great way to weatherproof the gutters and roof.
Conclusion
Making your roof weather-proof isn’t too difficult of a task. You just need to learn about the weak points in your roof and find ways to reinforce them. There are countless sources online that can advise you on all the things that might go wrong with your roof. As long as you observe your roof from time to time and take measures to repair it when necessary, you should be able to get through the season without issues. Take a look at the above examples of weatherproofing and check if your roof might need this form of reinforcement.