Your roofing system keeps your attic space at an even temperature, protects your roof from the outside elements, and can make a statement on your home’s style. Your roof is important. Keeping your roof watertight and leak-free is the goal of any homeowner but leaks can and do happen.
Let’s learn which areas are most vulnerable to leaks, why, and what you can do about it. Follow these expert tips and you’ll have a strong, leak-free roof.
Eaves
Eaves are the portion of your roof that overhangs the walls of your home. Unlike many portions of your roof, eaves are not over living space. This means your home’s eaves are colder than most of the roof and can develop leaking issues like ice dams.
There are a few different things you can do to keep your eaves from falling to victim to leaks and ice dams including installing ice and water shield at the eaves, adding heat cable to the eaves or gutters, or addressing ventilation to keep your roof at a more even temperature.
Penetrations
Penetrations are any objects that rise though your roof’s deck. Penetrations include chimneys, skylights, ventilation pipes, turbines, and more. Because the penetrations interrupt the flow of the roofing material, they are much more susceptible to leaking than the rest of your roofing system.
Expert installation of roofing materials will take care of your penetration fears. A reliable roofer will utilize the correct flashing and other components to reinforce these vulnerable areas.
Roof-to-Wall
Shingles and siding are two independent systems but join at several points along a roofing system. Any time you have a joint or seam you are more susceptible to leaks. Like penetrations, roof-to-wall meetings require proper flashing and extra care of shingle installation to avoid leaks.
Valleys
Not to beat a dead horse but anywhere you have seams, you have a likelihood of leaks. The valleys are the points on your roof where two faces join with a downward slope. Did someone say join? That means there’s a seam or break in material. Proper installation and the use of ice and water shield can greatly reduce your chances of leaks in the valley.
Any part of your roof can leak but some areas are much moresusceptible to leaking than others. If you take care of your eaves,penetrations, roof-to-wall, and valleys you’ll have a much stronger roof thatwill keep you leak-free for years.
Written by: Stuart from Roofcorp of Metro Denver, Inc.