There are things people do to or on their roofs that may seem like the right thing to do at the time but really are not.

Here are three common activities to avoid

1. Pressure washing your roof

Maybe your neighbor replaced their roof, making your roof look old and dirty in comparison. Short of investing in a new roof too, cleaning the grime off seems like the best course of action. Pressure washing asphalt roofing shingles is a horrible idea and will most likely end up with you needing a new roof anyway.

Pressure washing asphalt roofing shingles sandblast away all the granules that protect your home from leaks. Qualified roofers, like us, should only do inspections. Surprisingly, there are roofing companies out there that will offer to pressure wash composition roofs. They know not what they do, or worse, they do and are taking your money for nothing. Unless there is a specific reason, we don’t recommend roof cleaning at all.

2. Pulling up roofing shingles to look for leaks

Roof leaks can happen. You may be compelled to pinpoint and fix the leaking roof yourself. Unless you know something about roof leak repair, it’s best to call a professional roofer. Pulling up shingles checking for the leak only causes more damage, and can create leaks where there were none before. Inspecting asphalt roofing shingles requires you to get on the roof.

3. Walking on your roof

Besides the potential for harming yourself should you fall off, there’s the actual damage to the roof to consider. The same principals of pressure washing and pulling up shingles apply here. Walking on your asphalt shingles disturbs the granules and can leave shingles bare of the coating designed to keep them from leaking. Especially on older roofs, walking on the shingles can dislodge them, creating a gap for leaks.

Rely on a professional roofing contractor like Stein Home Solutions before you attempt to make any kind of roof repairs yourself.

Tagged: roof repair, asphalt shingers, roofing contractor, roof replacement, homeowner tips

Sarah Stein  November 13, 2017