Why Is Roof Maintenance Necessary?
A roof ages with time but with the adverse circumstances from exposure to sun, rain, air conditioning repair people, animals, and other wear and tear, the life of the roof membrane is further stressed an aged until the service life ends. Every extra year that your roof lasts means money that can be used for other purposes.
Studies have shown that a roof that is not regularly maintained will only last about half of its expected service life. Therefore, roofs need regular check-ups in the form of regular inspections and prompt repairs. Although you have a warranty, don't assume that a warranty will help because almost all manufacturers of roofing materials specifically state in their warranty that if the roof is not maintained the warranty is void.
A roof should be inspected at least twice a year to keep the roof alive as long as possible and to maintain the warranty. Johnsons Roofing Svc - Doing It On Top will inspect your roof for you. This inspection can entail anything from a normal visual survey to a formal inspection with a moisture survey.
When Should A Roof Be Inspected?
You want to have the inspections done just before the harsh or rainy season and again just after. In our Southern California, the severe weather is winter at which time the cold, storms and precipitation contributes the most to the demise of the roof. Likewise, during our hotter months, summer can be a severe season because the solar UV radiation is higher which causes the roof to be subjected to high heat and to thermal shock especially when it is sudden cooled down during summer rains. So you want to check the roof before the severe seasons of both winter and summer to prepare the roof for its ordeal to come and once after it has weathered the season to repair any problems that happened during.
What Are The Three Major Types Of Moisture Survey Systems?
Periodically, a formal moisture survey should be done in addition to the normal visual survey. There are three major types of moisture survey systems. None of the systems actually measure water; however, all three systems measure properties of the roofing materials that change when water is present.
INFRARED SCAN
This system measures the amount of heat retained or lost through the insulation. Wet insulation transmits heat better than dry materials. Thus, the infrared camera will pick up the higher levels of heat radiated by wet materials.
NUCLEAR ISOTOPIC METERS
This system works by sending hydrogen ions into the roof system and counting the number that bounce back. Because water has two hydrogen ions in every molecule, the number of ions counted increases significantly when water is present in the roof.
ELECTRICAL CAPACITANCE AND RESISTANCE METERS
This system measures the ability of roof materials to conduct electricity. They work on the principle that wet materials conduct electricity better than dry ones do.
Please know that each of these testing methods has limitations that need to be discussed with a Johnsons Roofing Svc - Doing It On Top expert to determine their applicability to a particular roof before they are used. It is suggested you have a formal moisture survey done at least once every five years. Whenever a roof is in a marginal condition, a survey should be used at that point to help determine a course of action.