TIPS FOR BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE MONSOON
We know you’re Rosie on the House fans; this lets us know you are on top of your general property maintenance. If you are looking for an article about general maintenance, see our previous blog article on “25 Tips and Tricks to Extend the Life of Your Roof“. This current article is about understanding the life stage of your roof. We get it; no one wants to consider that their roof has a limited life span. There are so many more fun ways to spend your home improvement dollars. Bear in mind, your roof protects all those other investments. That being said, understanding and preparing for roof expense is prudent.
Before The Monsoons:
Outside of this past weekend, do you realize the last rainfall to bring us over .1 inches of water in Arizona was over 100 days ago? We don’t mean to scare you, but that hot Arizona sun wreaks havoc on your roofing system; and there has been plenty of sun this year. Your roof system needs moisture to maintain its integrity. As your roofing membranes dry, they become brittle and cracked and it loses its ability to waterproof your home. This is silently happening, right now, up there, out of sight – out of mind.
Here at Lyons Roofing we often say the best cure for a leak is prevention. More importantly, by the time you see a leak; you have already spent too much money. It takes time and distance for that drop of water to make its way to your interior drywall, soaking your insulation and wood along the way. Here is the good news: we are leak detectives! That’s right. A good roofing contractor can identify a leak before it happens and before you have to pay for both a leak repair as well as the resulting damage.
How do you know if your roof should be inspected? Check out the table below. It highlights the average life expectancy of a variety of roofing systems and how often you should have those systems professionally inspected. Bear in mind- these are “rule of thumb” numbers. Consider that each roof type has a “good, better, best” installation option. Therefore life expectancy and how often it should be professionally inspected would vary dependent on the scope of roof originally installed.
During The Monsoons:
Ok, so days go by like minutes and the monsoon is here. What do you do if you find a leak?
- The first thing you need to remember is that water and electricity is a bad combination. If standing water is intruding near electricity go to your breaker box and stop the flow of electricity to that area- this will be much easier than stopping the water.
- For a small ceiling leak minimize the damage by allowing water to flow into a bucket. Safely approach the leak and enlarge the hole allowing water to free flow into a bucket- this will minimize damage both above AND below the leak. (see diagram)
- Call a Rosie on the House Certified roofing contractor.
- Here at Lyons Roofing, although we answer calls 24/7 we do not provide emergency service during an active storm. It is not safe to get onto a roof during an active storm. However, since everyone is finding their leaks during the same storm, we respond to emergency calls once the storm subsides in the order in which they are received – so get first in line for service when the rain stops.
After The Monsoons:
Our most important advice: Patience. Lyons Roofing has a love/hate relationship with the rain. It is quite unfortunate that it takes a good rain to remind folks they even have a roof. But when it rains, everyone discovers their leaks on the same day. This not only makes the lines for a reputable roofer-long, but it also brings out the less than scrupulous fly by night contractors. Keep in mind, after a good rain our teams are quite busy; this is going to be true for most, if not all reputable contractors. If someone is knocking on doors seeking business – ask yourself “how on earth they have the time to do this?”. Again, if somebody tells you “I can get to you tomorrow” after a major storm – this is a red flag. All in all, our worth repeating recommendation is: Patience. Our approach is a one-two punch. Have our service department tarp or temp patch your leak source and then get on the calendar for an estimate and ultimately the permanent solution. If you use Lyons Roofing for your permanent solution the cost of the temp or tarp will be credited back to you.
Allow a Rosie on the House Certified roofing partner to provide you the peace of mind to enjoy your next monsoon.
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