Moriarty's Roofing - Blog #roof problems

5 Ways trees can cause roof damage. What can I do?

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 06:00:00 -0800

When the fall season arrives in our area, the picturesque landscapes transform into vibrant hues of orange and gold, thanks to the abundance of trees that adorn the region. While these trees add to the natural beauty of the area, they can also pose a serious threat to your roof. In this blog post, we'll look at 5 ways that trees can cause roof damage and give you advice on how to protect your home from this potential danger.

Debris and Falling Leaves

As part of their natural life cycle, trees shed their leaves and branches during the fall season. When leaves and debris pile up on your roof, they can clog gutters and downspouts, causing water to pool and eventually causing water damage.

Gutters and Downspouts Damage

Clogged Gutters: Leaves and debris can accumulate in your gutters, restricting the flow of rainwater. This not only causes water to pool on your roof, but it also puts additional strain on your gutter system, potentially causing it to sag or detach from your house.

✅ What you can do: Keep your gutters clean on a regular basis to ensure proper drainage. This simple maintenance task can prevent a slew of problems. You should also think about installing gutter guards to keep debris out while still allowing water to flow.

Falling Branches

During the fall, strong winds, storms, and heavy rain in our area can cause weakened or dead branches to break and fall on your roof, causing significant damage.

✅ What you can do: Inspect your trees for dead or weakened branches and have them pruned or removed professionally. This preventative measure can help to avoid roof damage.

Growth of Moss and Algae

Our area's humid and mild climate, combined with falling leaves and overhanging branches, can provide an ideal environment for moss and algae to thrive on your roof. If left untreated, these organisms can cause significant damage.

✅ What you can do: Inspect your roof on a regular basis for signs of moss and algae growth, and clean or treat it as soon as possible to prevent damage.

Overhanging Branches

When overhanging branches sway in the wind, they can scratch, damage, or puncture your roof. Furthermore, the constant shade they provide encourages the growth of moss and algae, which can deteriorate roofing materials over time.

✅ What you can do: trim overhanging branches away from your roof. Consider hiring a professional arborist to assist you with tree maintenance.

Gutters and Downspouts Damage

Overhanging Branches: During windy conditions, overhanging branches can scrape against your gutters, causing dents and damage. The impact can cause holes in your gutter system in severe cases.

✅ What you can do: Trim overhanging branches to protect your gutters and keep them in proper working order.

Root Intrusion

Tree roots can be invasive because they seek moisture and nutrients. They can damage your foundation and, in some cases, lift or crack your roof if they grow too close to your house.

✅ What you can do: Plant trees a safe distance away from your home, and work with a professional landscaper or arborist to ensure proper placement. If you already have large trees and notes that may be damaging the structure of your home, call a professional as soon as possible.

While the fall season in our area provides breathtaking views of trees in all their autumn splendor, it's critical to be aware of the potential roof damage they can cause. You can protect your home from natural threats by taking proactive measures such as cleaning gutters, trimming branches, and inspecting for damage. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require professional assistance in maintaining your roof. We're here to help you protect your home and enjoy the beauty of the season without worry.

Kind regards from the Moriarty's Roofing Family.

How to detect hidden roof damage

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 11:08:06 -0700

Detecting hidden roof damage is pretty easy, but many people don't know how to do it. Here are some tips to learn when and how to look for these damages.

Which are the problems and dangers of hidden roof damage?

The main dangers of hidden roof damage are the structural integrity and possible structural weaknesses.

In addition, the hidden damage to our roof may become increasingly large, and when we notice it is too late for a simple repair, and we may have to replace the roof and make other repairs to our house.

If you’re about to make the decision to buy a home, take a look at the roof. The same is true if you want to sell your house: a roof with hidden damage could involve legal problems due to latent defects.

When to expect roof damage?

Roof damage can occur in several ways. Here are the most common ways it happens:

1- Old roof

If the roof is reaching the end of its life, it is normal for it to have some damage.

2- After hail or wind storm

After storms, there are a lot of types of damage that can be seen with the naked eye, but there are others that can’t. In fact, damage caused by hail or rain usually go unnoticed, and they begin to be observed over time, when it may be too late.

There may be water leaking through the roof and the walls of our house begin to absorb it. This can damage the structure of the house, so it is important to detect it in time. Hail may also produce small cracks in our tiles, which may not be easily visible.

3- During the installation of a new roof

Have you ever wondered what happens if it rains during the installation of your roof? It is important that the roofing company check the weather forecast to avoid this. But in the event of an unexpected storm, they will need to cover the entire roof quickly to avoid any water damage.

In addition, a roof with low installation quality could bring you problems, even in the short term. It is therefore essential that strict standards are followed throughout the installation process.

How to detect hidden roof damage?

Inspecting your roof and house

Look at the outside of the building and notice any areas that appear faded or have become discolored. This can be caused by water leakage or hail damage.
Inspect the structure's structural members such as beams and trusses for signs of rot and decay.
Check for cracks in the shingles and flashing around windows to see if they have lifted up from moisture buildup within your home.
Try checking the attic for moisture or leaks.

Use all your senses

Use all your senses to detect damage, as observation is not always enough.

Walk around the roof looking for sensations of bounciness or a soft roof, smell the attic areas of your home looking for moisture, touch the walls of your home, and see if there is mold.

Look at the particular areas of your roof

If you have a fireplace, check for leaks from flashing. If you have solar panels or another element that is fixed to your roof by nails or another penetrating element, pay special attention to this, as these areas may be prone to roof damage.

Things you can check

Visible damage, such as a sunken roof, missing shingles, visible leaks, etc., are easy to detect. Since hidden damage is more difficult to notice, you should look for problem triggers, that is, problems that can generate other problems. Here are some things you can check at home to avoid future problems:

Clogged gutters

If there are obstructions in the gutters, water will accumulate and may generate moisture, growths of mold or algae, and also leaks. To avoid damage to the roof it is important to clean them periodically.

Broken shingles

As you know, shingles are the element of the roof that protects us from all the effects of nature, such as the sun, rain, hail, snow and winds.

Over time or after storms, and depending on the type and quality of shingles you have on your home, they can crack, fray or curl. These weaknesses can be the start of more serious damage, so it is important to detect it in time, and if necessary make a repair.

Lights in the Attic

If you inspect your attic and detect that light passes through the roof, this indicates that rain water will also pass and will generate serious problems.

What can I do if roof damage is found?

You should call an expert professional if:

You find hidden damage.
You’re not sure, but you think there might be damage.
You’ve had your gutters clogged for a long time. You can clean them yourself or call a professional to clean them and take a look at the ceiling for damage.

Kind regards from the Moriarty Roofing Family.

10 Signs you probably need a new roof

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 06:17:39 -0700

Many times the damage to your roof is more serious than it seems and can cause huge problems when you do not act quickly. In this article you will find some signs you should consider when determining whether to replace your roof.

At Moriarty’s Roofing we advise you to periodically check your roof, and to do a general cleaning. This will avoid unexpected problems and save you money as you won’t have to make roof replacements that you could have avoided.

1- Your roof is old

That's a problem. When the roof is close to the end of its life, it is normal for problems such as sinks, leaks, lost parts, etc. to appear. The lifespan will depend on the type of roof you have, for example, metal roofs tend to be the most durable roofing material, usually last between 40 and 70 years, and a composite shingle roof lasts between 20 and 40 years.

2- Your roof has saggy spots

A sagging roof is very dangerous, as there is the risk of imminent collapse. If the roofline is accompanied by leaks, visible shingle or water damage, it’s important to act quickly before the problem gets worse.

If it's safe for you to carefully walk on the roof, see how it feels. If it feels spongy or has a bit of a bounce, call a roofing professional as soon as possible.

3- You can see daylight

From the attic, or from a place where you can see the roof of your home, you should not see sunlight passing through the roof boards. If daylight passes, the water will also pass and that will generate even more problems.

If this is only happening in one place of the house, it may be able to be repaired. But if you notice it in several places, it’s probably best to replace the ceiling partially or completely.

4- Visible leaks or interior water damage

If there are multiple leaks in the roof, it’s time to consider replacing your roof.

Sometimes you do not see leaks inside the house, but you notice streaks, water stains in the attic, or the ceiling or walls of your home.

5- Damaged, curling or missing shingles

If you notice visible shingle damage to various parts of your roof, it may be time to replace it. Simply take a look for the most common forms of visible shingle damage:

Cracked shingles
Damaged or curled shingles
Missing shingles
Missing granules
Damage around chimneys or skylights

6- Storm damage (wind and rain)

After a heavy storm, it is ideal to inspect the roof for damage due to rain or strong winds. If you don’t know how to detect damages, but you think they exist, consult a roofing company.

The wind can lift the shingles and loosen the sealant and the nails that bind them to the roof.

7- Exposed nails

Depending on how many nails there are exposed, whether or not they’ve been exposed for a long time, and what type of materials the roof is made from, it may need to be replaced.

8- Damaged or missing flashings

If the flashing is rusty, broken or lost, water will run along these edges and seep into the house.

Depending on the severity of the damage, you may choose to repair, or replace the roof either partially or completely.

9- Moldy roof

If your roof has mold, don’t be scared! It may not need to be replaced, and a deep cleaning could be enough. But if mold has been spreading all over the roof for some time, it may have already entered the shingles and that is a general problem. In addition, plant life also invites certain insects and pests to live there. To avoid this, you have to be very careful and periodically clean it.

10- Structural problems

Century houses and log cabins may have wooden beams for roofing supports that can deform and bend over time.

New houses may be deformed due to natural settlement or seismic activity.

In both cases, a deformation of the roof will be caused, and may bring with it certain problems such as water retention, sagging parts, etc.

In this case, first the structural problem must be solved and then the roof replaced.

Kind regards from the Moriarty Roofing Family.