Home Maintenance and Repair Tips

Know your roof.

Most folks are pretty conscientious about maintaining the exterior walls of their homes. On just about any day during good weather, you can drive through a neighborhood and find the sides of at least one home under siege by painters. But rarely do you see anyone on the roof of a home unless the roof is being replaced. For some reason, people just don't pay as much attention to their roofs, which we think is a mistake.

The whole idea of maintenance is to ensure longevity, reduce costs, and improve value. We think this concept should apply to the roof in the same way it does to the walls. In fact, we like to think of the roof as the fifth wall of the home that should be maintained with the same regularity as the walls that support it. With proper care and maintenance, a roof can outlast its warranty without leaking a drop or suffering any ugly damage.

Cleaning

Streaking or discoloration can cause a perfectly good roof to look worn and tattered. And ugly is not a good thing -- remember curb appeal? So, for appearance sake, use the following universal roof cleaning formula when your roof gets dirty. The concoction also gets rid of mildew or moss on your roof, which can cause extensive damage if left unattended.

You'll need these supplies:

1 cup liquid chlorine bleach
1 cup powdered laundry detergent
1 gallon hot water
1 bucket or large mixing bowl
1 stir stick (the kind for paint is okay)
1 pair of safety glasses or goggles
1 pump garden sprayer
1 stiff bristle broom
1 tall ladder (how tall will depend on the height of your roof)
1 pair rubber-soled shoes
1 garden hose

Do this project on a cool, humid, overcast day to make sure that the cleaner doesn't dry too fast on the roof. Wait until the weather's right and then follow these steps:
Mix the hot water, bleach, and detergent until the soap granules dissolve and then pour the mixture into the garden sprayer.

Once on the roof, spray the cleaner on a strip about 3 feet high and 10 feet wide and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Begin cleaning the lower portion of the roof, moving up as you clean each lower section. That way, you always stand on dry ground and reduce the chance of slipping.

If the cleaner begins to dry out, spray on a bit more.
Use the broom to scrub the area as needed to get it clean.
Rinse the cleaned area with fresh water.
Repeat the process until the roof is clean.

Cleaning your roof.
A wood shake or shingle roof covered with pine needles, leaves, moss, and other debris may retain water, causing the shingles to rot prematurely. An annual sweeping with a stiff bristle broom cuts down on fungus damage by enhancing proper watershed. Cleaning to promote proper watershed is important with other types of roofs, as well. Built-up debris can create a dam which can cause a leak.

Flashing

Roof flashing creates a watertight connection where the roof is adjoined by a wall, as when a first-story roof connects to a second-story wall. Roof flashing also creates watertight connections between the roofing and items that penetrate it, including plumbing pipes, furnace flues, skylights, and chimneys.

The metal trim around the chimney -- where the chimney intersects the roof -- is a type of roof flashing. The metal trim surrounding a skylight where the base of the skylight connects to the roof is another type of roof flashing. The metal plate laced between the shingles at a pipe penetration is yet another example of roof flashing. All roofs have roof flashing. Although some flashings are made of lead, most are made of galvanized sheet metal or aluminum. And that means rust or corrosion. And rust or corrosion means leaks.

To prevent flashings from leaking, you need to keep them from rusting. The application of a good coat of paint every few years generally does the trick.

After you apply the first coat of paint to your flashing, maintaining it is easy. You want to focus on removing any rust that appears and keeping the paint in good condition. You need the following items:
1 box of Tri Sodium Phosphate (TSP), mixed to manufacturer's specifications
Sandpaper or 1 wire brush
1 paint brush
1 can of rust converter
1 can of latex paint
Follow these steps to maintain rust on your flashing:
Wash the surface with the TSP.
The TSP etches (chemically roughens) the painted surface.
Use the sandpaper or the wire brush to remove all rust.
Clean away the dust and use the paintbrush to apply the rust converter.
The rust converter acts as a primer while converting leftover rust to an inert material.
Apply the latex paint as a finish coat.
We like to paint our roof flashings, vent pipes, and flue caps the same color as the roofing material, making them less obtrusive and more esthetically appealing.
One type of flashing, called vent flashing, incorporates a rubber grommet that seals the connection between the centermost portion of the flashing and the plumbing vent pipe. Keep this rubber grommet in good condition with a shot of rubber preservative every year or two.

Questions or comments write or email:
eugene.dougherty@realliving.com
www.realtyone.com/eugene.dougherty
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