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Chicago Roof Clean-up Tips

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It’s time for your roof’s spring-cleaning and inspection. Not only will this make your home look better, it can also extend the life of the roof. Here are some tips on what to look for during spring cleaning.

Tree limbs. Make sure tree limbs don’t touch a roof. If they do, they can easily scrape over the shingles and loosen the protective granules. This will severely reduce the life of a roof. Trim trees close to the house to avoid any limbs touching the roof surface.

Leaves and pine needles. A little leaf or a few pine needles are fine, but if they collect and are deep enough to hold moisture, they need to be taken off the roof. Anything that traps moisture will cause mildew to form, block gutters, or cause extra weight on the roof. A rake or air blower can be used to clear the roof, but take care not to damage the shingles.

Moss. Cutting back trees and removing leaves will reduce moss growth, as it will allow sunlight to dry up the moisture that moss thrives on. While there are chemicals available on the market to get rid of moss, the runoff can cause damage to plants. Another solution is to nail zinc or copper strips to the ridgeline; as rain washes across, it creates an environment where moss cannot grow.

Mold. Discolored streaks on a roof indicate there is mold, algae, or fungus, which can eat away at the roofing material and, ultimately, cause leaks. A treatment of chlorine bleach or copper sulfate solution applied with a garden sprayer can kill the mold. GAF manufactures algae-resistant shingles that have a specially formulated granule that inhibits algae growth, in addition to shingles with StainGuard® Protection. Finally, do not power wash shingles! It can dislodge granules and cause premature shingle failure.

Gutter damage. Heavy snow from the winter season can result in gutter damage while leftover fall leaves and debris can lead to clogged gutters. Check to make sure water can flow easily through the gutters and fix any loose nails that are preventing the gutters from sitting tightly along the roof line.

Missing shingles, chimney, and flashing. A complete inspection by SMART Roofing, Inc. can uncover issues with missing shingles, chimney damage, or flashing around chimneys, vents, or other bends in the roof.

Dealing with these potential issues in a timely manner will allow your roof to stand strong through the next season of weather challenges—and for many years to come.  Contact SMART Roofing, Inc. today at 847.797.0404 if you suspect or find roof damage.

Excerpt from GAF ProBlog

SMART Roofing Featured Chicago Service Areas:

SMART Roofing serves the following Chicago Area: Algonquin, Alsip, Antioch, Arlington Heights, Aurora, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Bartlett, Batavia, Bedford Park, Bensenville, Berkeley, Berwyn, Blue Island, Bridgeview, Broadview, Brookfield, Buffalo Grove, Burbank, Burr Ridge, Calumet City, Calumet Park, Carpentersville, Chicago, Chicago Heights, Cicero, Country Club Hills, Countryside, Crestwood, Crete, Deer Park, Deerfield, Des Plaines, Dundee, Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Elmwood Park, Evanston, Evergreen Park, Flossmoor, Forest Park, Franklin Park, Geneva, Glen Ellyn, Glencoe, Glendale Heights, Glenview, Glenwood, Gurnee, Hampshire, Hanover Park, Harvey, Harwood Heights, Hazel Crest, Hickory Hills, Highland Park, Hinsdale, Hoffman Estates, Homewood, Huntley, Indian Head Park, Inverness, Itasca, Justice, Kenilworth, La Grange, Lake Forest, Lake in the Hills, Lake Villa, Lake Zurich, Lansing, Lemont, Libertyville, Lincolnwood, Lisle, Long Grove, Lyons, Maine Township, Markham, Matteson, Melrose Park, Midlothian, Montgomery, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Naperville, Niles, North Lake, Northbrook, Oak Brook, Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Oak Park, Olympia Fields, Orland Hills, Orland Park, Oswego, Palatine, Palos Hills, Palos Park, Palos Township, Park Forest, Park Ridge, River Forest, Riverside, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Rosemont, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, South Barrington, Streamwood, Sugar Grove, Summit, Tinley Park, Vernon Hills, Westchester, Western Springs, Wheaton, Wheeling, Willow Springs, Wilmette, Winnetka, Wood Dale, Woodridge, Worth, Yorkville, and more.

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