Having a clean roof will help your home stay dry and prevent premature roof deterioration. Pine needles are popular debris that can gather in Utah homes. Leaves, pine needles, and sticks should be removed from your roof frequently if you want the roof to perform at its best. When you remove pine needles from roofing material you ensure that the roof can protect your home from weather or bacteria growth.
Lifetime Roofing wants you to have a secure roof that will protect your home from all that is thrown at it. Your roof can only function when it is free and clear of debris. Below are some reasons that you should remove pine needles from your roof and tips on how to do it properly.
Moisture Trapping
When a significant layer of pine needles has built up on your roof, it creates a moisture barrier that makes it hard for humidity and water droplets to roll off your roof. This creates pockets where mold can thrive and work its way underneath your roof material and into your home. While pine needles can dry out quickly, when they are woven together, they prevent excess moisture from storms from escaping and causing deterioration to your roof.
Clogged Gutters
Your gutters help to remove moisture from your roof and keep rainwater away from your foundation. When they are clogged, that precipitation piles up and can back up under your shingles or leak over the sides of the gutters. Pine needles can be a cause of clogging in residential gutters. Remove pine needles from your gutters before large storms or semi-annually (spring and fall).
Cause Cracking In Shingles
When too many pine needles build up on your roof and in your gutters, they can push up underneath your shingles and cause them to split. Cracking in shingles can lead to leaks inside your home and damage to your roofing mesh. Pine needles can hide underneath your tiles or shingles so you may not realize that you need to clean your roof. Scheduling time to clean your gutters and roof or scheduling a professional appointment can help keep your roof in proper shape.
Trimming Overhanging Branches Will Help
If you are getting overwhelmed by how many pine needles are accumulating on your roof, you can trim branches of your surrounding trees to limit their reach. Trimming trees can help keep the tree healthier and protect your roof all at the same time. Limiting the number of pine needles that can fall on your roof will help save you time to spend on other tasks.
Tools To Help Remove Debris
There are many ways to help remove pine needles from residential roofs. Keeping your home clean can be done by climbing up on a ladder and pulling the pine needles and leaves off with your hands.
Another easy tool that can be used is a lea blower. If you have lots of built-up pine needles using a leaf blower can push them underneath the shingles and cause cracking. Leafblowers can help make a large project less daunting.
Some roof rakes can help remove snow from your roof but they can be used to remove large amounts of pine needles. Before you use any tool on your roof, it is best to check your warranty and do research on how they can damage the material.
Household brooms can also help clean your roof. The soft bristles will cause less damage to shingles than metal rakes or leaf blowers.
Industrial vacuum cleaners can make homes that are saturated with pine needles become cleaner quicker. Removing stacks of leaves, pine needles, and twigs can be done more efficiently with a strong powered vacuum.
Roof Maintenance With Lifetime Roofing
Our company at Lifetime Roofing can improve your roof structure with roof repairs and roof maintenance. We want to help Utah homes last for longer and give peace of mind to homeowners. Our business started in 2008 and has grown in knowledge and reach since then. We now have locations in North Salt Lake City, Layton, Ogden, Park City, and Tremonton. Contact us to schedule annual roof maintenance, roof repairs, or roof replacement today!
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