Your roof serves as your Florida home’s initial defense against the elements and extreme weather. It only makes sense that you’d want to do everything you can to ensure it lasts you for years to come. Rather than waiting for leaks to appear, you can be proactive by inspecting your roof, and having a professional perform preventative maintenance and minor repairs on a regular basis.
But when should you inspect your roof, and what else should you know about roof inspections? Here’s a quick overview.
Scheduling your roof inspections
If you’ve recently been through a major weather event like a hailstorm or windstorm that caused some damage, including blown-off shingles, then obviously you’re going to want to get a professional out right away to inspect the condition of your roof and see what sort of repairs are necessary.
However, this isn’t the only circumstance in which you should have your roof inspected. You don’t need to wait until something goes wrong to evaluate the condition of your roof.
One of the best times of year to have your roof inspected is in the fall, before the cooler weather arrives. You’ll want to know what sort of condition your roof is in before the colder temperatures arrive, because winter is probably the worst time to make repairs or do roof replacements. Attempting to make repairs while the roof is slick can be very dangerous, and installing new shingles can be difficult during cold weather because the air temperature makes it hard for those new shingles to get a proper seal when installed.
There are certain kinds of roof repairs that are best made in the fall, as well, so they can be finished in time for spring. Fall is the best time, for example, to treat shingles for moss or lichen. Those treatments might need up to 180 days to work, so it makes sense to apply those treatments in the fall so they’ve reached their full effectiveness by the spring and the new growing season. You’ll then be easily able to wipe or spray off the dead moss or lichen during the spring.
Get professional help
While you might be able to spot some obvious problems with your roof, such as missing shingles or other obvious damage (including lifting shingles or leaks coming into your home), there are other types of damage that can be difficult to spot if you don’t know exactly what to look for.
For this reason, it’s beneficial to have a professional’s opinion. Not only will they better understand what to watch for with your roof, but they’ll also be more comfortable getting up on the roof itself, and have the safety tools and equipment necessary to get the job done without incident.
So, what time of year would you inspect your Florida roof? While we recommend fall, both spring and summer inspections are also ideal. Contact Winter Springs Roofing & Repair with any questions you have about how roof inspections work, and to schedule an appointment.