As a crown is to a king so is the roof to a house. A good roof gives a house a perfect and elegant finish. How long a roof remains the elegant crown of your house depends on how well you maintain it. The general notion is that roofs are durable. There is some truth in that. Roofs are designed to last years.

What is overshadowed many times is that the general notion only applies with a big if. A roof is durable if, and only if it is properly maintained.

5 Things you should never do to your roof.

There are certain things home owners innocently do which unknown to them damages the roof significantly reducing its lifespan. We will scope out some of these damaging activities.

  i.  Don’t use a pressure washer on your roof.

I understand you need your roof spotless clean. But using a pressure washer to do so does more harm than good. The water under intense pressure washes away the minute mineral particles that are meant to protect the roof. This leaves it exposed to the elements hence cracks easily.

Such pressure also damages the adhesive seals that hold shingles together. This results in development of tiny spaces and cracks between the shingles causing leakages. The chemicals used with the pressure cleaner may also corrode the roof causing discoloration.

  ii. Don’t ignore repairs and maintenance. 

The reality in life is that there is life and death. But there is a way prevent death from happening soon. Maintenance.

Roofing does not end at installation. A regular maintenance schedule should be adopted. With maintenance, a defect in the roof is detected early and corrected. Failure to detect damages early could worsen the problem leading to higher flat roof repairs cost in future.

Without a proper maintenance schedule, the durability of the roof is significantly reduced.

  iii. Don’t install a new roof over an old or damaged roof.

While patching or simply placing a new roof over an old one may seem a cheap and quick fix, it may prove destructive and expensive in the long run.

When you patch up, the shingles fixed on top of the other do not fit properly and lay completely flat. The small spaces left allow water and air in defeating the whole essence of patching.

When you place a new roof on an old one, an extra weight that was not factored in at construction is added. This compromises the stability of the home since the roof or walls could cave in.

  iv. Don’t ignore debris.

Debris like twigs and leaves may look less harmless than they really are. When left for a long time, the debris collect forming masses that affect the ventilation and drainage of the roof.

  v. Don’t erect components anyhow.

Be very selective of the things you install on your roof. A satellite dish or a basketball hoop is important in a home, undoubtedly. Find alternative places they can be erected. If it must be done on the roof let it be done by a professional to minimize damage.

Installing devices on a roof entails drilling holes into the roof. Unless it is professionally done with precision, you may end up with many holes which increase the risk of leakages.

A basketball hoop is destructive. When hit by the ball it may vibrate rapidly breaking seals. An eventuality which compromises the integrity of the roof.

Florin is an Online Marketing expert and blogger who loves to explore the newest trends in business, technological know-how and advertising and creates about a variety of articles.