Leaking roofs can lead to great personal misery.  It’s bad enough when harsh weather outside keeps your family bound to the inside, but a leaky roof enables the water to chase you even while in your home. To add woe to the misery, you can’t even repair the leak until after the bad weather lets up.

So what you do in the mean time? Hunt down the leak. Get a good idea of what is needed before you call for help. If possible, take steps to lessen the damage. The following tips will help you deal with a leaky roof.

What You Should Know About Leaking Roofs

Safety: Always put safety first. This is not a commando operation. Never storm to the top of your roof without taking reasonable safety precautions. Climbing is serious business. Roofing shingles can be wet and slippery. A fall can cause critical injuries. So gather the right equipment, plan for safety, and then make sure you have a specific goal in mind.

Get A Plan: Precaution is not limited to safety. Any changes you make to your roofing system should be planned. Do things right the first time. Figure out what you need, what equipment and material is required to do it right, and how to accomplish the task with the least waste and expense. Stop the leak but do it with a cost effective and permanent game plan.

Eliminate: Repairing a leaky roof begins with the process of elimination. Zone in on what seems to be the most obvious source of the leak. If possible, get someone to work with you. Finding roof leaks is easier and more accurate when you can work both the inside of the attic and the outside of the home. This also increases your personal safety: You should always have someone handy to stabilize the ladder during ascents and descents.

Gutters: Clean gutters help prevent many of the circumstances that can lead to leaking roofs. This may not resolve the immediate problem, but as a long-term preventative action, regular gutter maintenance can help you keep a leak free home. During the course of inspection, you may even discover that the primary cause of a current leak is due to a jammed gutter system. Water than cannot flow away from the home must flow into the home.

Dry Rot: Left unattended, dry rot can eventually lead to even worse problems. Don’t permit this problem to linger. For the do-it-yourself homeowner, fixing dry rot issues can be a big money saver on an roofing repair project. But if you are not up on this type of repair, find someone to help. Many homeowners don’t notice dry rot until the water begins to flow. Consider calling in a professional roofer for an occasional overhead inspection.

Ice Accumulation: Ice buildup can quickly damage your roof system. For some areas of the country ice storms are a primary problem; for others they are only an occasional situation. In either event, you cannot afford to permit unchecked ice to linger on your roof. The cold can freeze your shingles. This causes expansion and cracks. The ice can create a water dam that enables water to back up and then slip beneath your shingles. Any time ice accumulates on your roof, you need to keep a close watch on any possible points of damage.

Quality Materials: It may be trite, but you do get what you pay for. When doing roof repairs, roof replacements, or new roofing, ask for the best. Quality materials provide quality home coverage. Stop thinking cheap. Stop thinking of ways to get by for a year or two. Stop risking high dollar repair costs for the sake of a few hundred dollars saved on material and labor costs. Doing things right the first time can save lots of homeowner misery.

Keep Your Home Leak Free

• Put safety first
• Develop a plan
• Purchase quality materials
• Demand top services
• Practice proper maintenance techniques
• When necessary, be quick to seek the help of a roofing professional.

Your roof is a critical component of your home. It helps keep your family dry and comfortable. Maintain it with care. Learn to spot the situations that can lead to a leak. Get help when you need it. Do the job right. Rest assured that your roof is properly installed and serviced.

But never take your roof for granted.

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For decades, asphalt shingles have been used as roofing on nearly every type of structure. The application of asphalt shingles fits for steep-sloped residential roofs or for low-sloped commercial and industrial complexes. But are asphalt shingles the best roofing solutions for Charlotte Metrolina homes?

Consider the value of cool roofing alternatives.
Roofing Principle Behind the Use of Asphalt Shingles

Standard asphalt roof shingles serve one primary purpose: They prevent water from entering into a structure. With this in mind, set your focus on Mecklenburg climate during mid-June, July and August of any given year. The typical Charlotte thermometer lingers around 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Against this type of heat, the air-conditioning unit in your Mecklenburg home or Charlotte business office struggles to maintain an internal comfort-level that keeps you, your family or your employees from sweating it out.

Think about it!

With standard asphalt shingled roofing, the surface heat on your North Carolina home may run as much as 100 degrees Fahrenheit greater than the ambient temperature outside the structure. Your AC begins to stay on day and night. Your electric bill reflects the difference. And you wish for a cost savings alternative.

Advantages of Installing Cool Roofing Materials 

Everyone strives to find ways to lower their everyday living costs, especially those associated with utilities. Cool roofing materials offer alternatives to standard asphalt roof shingles – alternatives that promise to help reduce your cooling costs, increase your structure’s internal comfort level and help prevent rust and corrosion of the associated roofing materials. If you live in or near Mecklenburg County or any other long-term, high temperature region, cool roofing promises to help keep your home or business at or near the outside ambient temperature.

The key to gaining these benefits lies in the outer layer of the cool roof. Cool roof products are designed to promote higher solar “reflectance” and higher thermal energy release per second throughout the entire surface of your roof.

Solar “reflectance” relates to an object’s potential for reflecting the infrared, ultraviolet and visible wavelengths of the sun. Thermal “emittance” applies to an object’s potential for radiating any of those wavelengths that are not reflected. When combined, these two cool roofing characteristics actually work to reduce surface heat which in turn prevents heat gain within a structure or dwelling.

Installed cool roofing strives to provide an accumulated effect to energy cost savings. Some studies indicate that structures with an installed cool roof system can gain as much as a 35% reduction in cooling costs. Logic implies that a hotter climate means a higher energy savings for the home owner or the business owner. Charlotte, NC and the surrounding area fit dead center of the criteria that claims to establish cool roofing as a valuable investment.

An installed cool roof system provides the following benefits:

• o Reduced heat deterioration/degradation
  o Lower maintenance costs
  o More efficient air-conditioning results
  o Better home comfort.

Simple Business Math

Perhaps you are more concerned about your Charlotte business than your home. Apply the following simple business math to your cool roofing projections:

• o When human beings are uncomfortable, they are less productive.
  o When human beings are not productive, a company can lose out on business and/or sales.
  o With a cool roof installed, human comfort increases.
  o Increased comfort makes for happy employees.
  o Happy employees increase productivity and/or sales.

Cool Roofing Ideal for the Southeastern United States

The average daily temperatures in North Carolina are not the highest in the southeast, but when the summer sun fires down on your Charlotte home, you may want to argue the point. At times, Metrolina area temperatures can soar into the triple digit range. This creates a serious local interest in cool roofing alternatives.

Why wait until the heat becomes unbearable?

Ultimately, installing a cool roof appears to be cost effective, value efficient and earth friendly. With global warming and overpopulation, there is no doubt that the earth is getting hotter. Cool roofs can increase your summer comfort without damaging your pocketbook.

Look out Charlotte: Cool roofs may soon become another Charlotte roofing standard.

Seeing the Negative Side of Cool Roofing Systems

On the positive side, cool roofing appears to be worth the cost. Yet any article that strives to present a balanced report must include comments concerning the additional expense of purchasing and installing a cool roof system. For example: The average cool roofing system will cost you as much as a 1/3 again the price of standard asphalt shingling. This means that a $6,000 asphalt roofing job will cost nearly $10,000 if switched over to a cool roofing system.

Some would declare that cool roofing comes with valuable tax credits. This is true, but certain asphalt shingle systems also come with valuable tax credits. Likewise with the processes that help reduce the internal heat of your home or business. There are many alternative solutions that address this issue on an asphalt roofed home. Don’t move so quickly that you miss these asphalt roofing options.

In the end, the choice is yours. Cool roofing is more costly than standard roofing. Cool roofing claims to reduce the pull against your air conditioning without requiring any additional components above the components basic to the cool roofing system. Tax credits are available for either type of roofing system. Get the full details by contacting your local professional roofing contractor.

This roofing tip presented courtesy of:

ZIMMERMAN ENTERPRISES’S KANGA ROOF
111 E. Charlotte Ave
Mount Holly, North Carolina

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The basic idea is simple.

Summer effects: Hot air rises and collects in the attic. The sun bakes the trapped air and adds to the rising attic heat. The energy efficiency of your home suffers from the effects. If you do not establish some means for releasing that trapped cushion of very hot air just above your living quarters your summer cooling costs will reflect that failure.

Winter effects: Controlled attic ventilation helps retain attic heat. This heat reflects back into the home and it also reduces the chances of ice dams forming on the roof.

In either climate, attic ventilation prevents the accumulation of moisture. This lessens the effect of mildew, mold, and other damaging conditions for the structure of your home.

Controlled attic ventilation affects the energy efficiency of your home. The problem can be approached from several different directions. Some methods are simple and easy for the do-it-yourself home handyman. Others may require the services of a professional roofing contractor.

Here are just a few ideas for how you can increase your home’s energy efficiency level by utilizing modern methods of attic ventilation.

Non-Mechanical Methods of Attic Ventilation

Non-mechanical ventilation options provide the simplest approach to attic heat control. Several types of non-mechanical attic ventilation products include the following:

• Gable vents: This simple static vent is placed at the upper area of the attic.
  Soffit vents: This venting system is placed under the roofline of your home. It enables cool air to flow in and replace the warm air that leave the attic via additional points of exit.
  Ridge vents: Placed along the top of the roof, ridge vents allow warm air to exit up high. A combination of Soffit and ridge vents provides a system for moving air that is much more effective than standard gable vents.

Mechanical Methods of Attic Ventilation Help Control Energy Efficiency

Mechanical vents are also very effective. The basic options include attic fans and whole-house fans. Attic fans are, as the name suggests, installed in the attic and simply used to blow warm air out of the space. They are available for both gable and ridge vent areas of the attic. Nowadays, they are even available as solar-powered units, so your energy costs can be reduced more completely.

All-metal fans are the most durable. Be sure to purchase one that it has a “firestat”. This device will disable the fan should it detect temperatures that indicate a fire. If a house catches on fire, extra ventilation would only feed the fire, so this feature is very important.

House fans are popular in areas where air conditioning is less prevalent. They act to ventilate and cool entire homes. Belt-driven models are quieter and more powerful than the direct-drive varieties.

Energy Efficient Attic Ventilation Requires Action

If the idea of extra ventilation appeals to you, the first step is to check your attic. Evaluate what types of vents are currently installed. Browse your local home-improvement store. Determine what you can buy to improve your energy efficiency via an upgrade to your attic ventilation system. Evaluate what you can do on your own. Admit when you need help.

Whatever you decide to do, you will see your investment pay off in terms of lowered energy costs and a more comfortable home in both the summer and winter months.

Zimmerman Enterprises, Kanga Roof is located in Mount Holly, NC. We serve the greater Charlotte Metrolina area. If you are looking for a professional roofer or a local roof repair contractor, please contact us today at 704-392-0720 or complete our online request form. This Article Viewed (1)

Locating roof leaks can be downright difficult. Even professional Gastonia roofing contractors struggle to pinpoint some roof leaks. If the leak is of any size at all, the approach to discovery is straightforward. This article helps alleviate the frustrations that can accompany the task of locating leaks in a pitched roof.    

Courtesy of Anne Horneyak via Flick Photo: http://www.flickr.com/people/anneh632

Perhaps this will help you save some dollars during these troubled times. Any home handyman can perform the following steps. Just remember that roof leaks are tricky to locate. Pitched roofs can leak from up high but drip down low. Even if you are not capable of completing the physical aspects of roof repair, advance knowledge of where the leak is located can save you time and money on your roof repair costs.

So locate the leak yourself. Maybe even fix the minor repairs yourself. But before taking on any major roof repair work, at least talk to a respected Gastonia roof contractor. His or her advice may prevent costly errors on the project. Remember: Water damage never heals itself.

An Ordered Approach Best Reveals the Location of a Roof Leak

Begin at the obvious point of reference. This means align the inside evidence of a leak to an outside reference point on the roof. It works like this:

Start With the Overhead Ceiling

Eventually you will need to enter the attic of your home, but begin by seeking the obvious signs that can appear on your overhead ceiling. If the water leakage has spread from the attic and through the ceiling sheetrock or tile, you will have a point of reference to help lessen the time you must spend searching in the attic.

Once the point of leakage in the ceiling is identified, stand beneath your attic entry point. From there, walk off the distance to the point of the leak. Then transfer these measurements and directions upward. Once in the attic, follow the same path and estimated distance as you earlier walked down below. This should place you very near the beginning point of your search.

In the Attic

Locate the inside signs of leakage. This will typically involve an area of wet or damp insulation. If rain is currently falling on your Gastonia home, a flashlight will also help you isolate the location of the roof leak. Turn out the attic lights. Shine your beam into the darkness. Dripping water glitters beneath the light rays.

Wet insulation or dripping water merely indicates the point where the leak departs from the roof and falls to the attic floor. It is possible that this point corresponds to the actual point of leakage, but most likely this is the end result of a long trail. You must now backtrack the flow of water.

The leak in a pitched roof is typically uphill from the point of evidence on the ceiling or the attic floor. Start by examining the overhead beams and supports. Look for any signs of water damage or water flow. You must also pay attention to the following possible points of water entry into your attic:

• Any nearby protrusions through the roof. This means chimneys, electrical seals, exhaust fans, heat vents, solar panels and pipe flashings.
• Examine solder joints in the flashing.
• Test the flexibility of rubber seals.
• Examine the area directly beneath the ridge cap.

Transfer the Inside Point of Entry Into an Outside Location

Once the physical point of leakage is clearly identified, establish the inside X and Y coordinates that can be used to correspond to external roof locations. If you have a helper, and conditions permit, put them to tapping on the inside of the roof while you go up top and locate their position.

For minor leaks, you might try applying a bit of roofing cement or replacing a few shingles. For major work, be sure to consult with a dependable Gastonia roofer. Even if you perform the roof repairs on your own, a little professional advice can go a long way toward preventing unnecessary errors.

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Durable, leak-proof roofing is critical to the structural integrity of your home. When installed correctly, your roof material should withstand heavy winds, pounding rains, and the weight and stress of long-term snow and ice accumulation. A well-designed roof system keeps out drafts, retains home warmth, and looks good too.

Leaky roofs cause rot, mold, and other home damage problems. If left untreated, even minor failures in your roofing materials can lead to major home destruction. Inspections help prevent accumulated roof and gutter problems. Don’t wait until water finds a way into your home. If you find one worn spot, increase your efforts to locate any others. The typical roof ages as a unit. Taking quick action can help you avoid the price of costly repairs to the framework, insulation, ceilings, or other interior parts of your home.

Too Late: Your Roofing Material Must Be Replaced

In a technical sense, the roof is the entire cover of your home. But from a primary roofing viewpoint, roof replacement involves sheathing, felt, flashing, and the installation of a material that waterproofs the main surface. This raises a question: Which roof materials will work best for your situation and your needs?

Here is a list of common roofing materials, including some of the associated pros and cons.

Asphalt Roof Materials: This common roofing option is readily available, inexpensive, and simple to install. Asphalt shingles come in two forms of composition:

1. Asphalt coated in glass fiber
2. Felted paper saturated with asphalt.

As a heaver counterpart to asphalt glass fiber shingles, the felted paper design tends to be more effected against strong winds. However both types of asphalt shingles make use of ceramic granules as a coating component. Some brands of asphalt shingles boast a lifespan of 50 years. Both are designed to protect the asphalt from UV rays.
Ceramic Roof Materials: Fired clay tiles provide two advantages over asphalt roofs: 1) Clay is fire proof and 2) ceramic roof runoff does not leach petroleum toxins into the water. Some say that this makes the runoff water drinkable, but filtration and processing is still the best practice in this matter.

From the viewpoint of roofing installation, ceramic tiles make for a heavy roofing material. This is good and this is bad. Greater weight provides better resistance against strong winds but it also requires a greater underlying framework and crossbeam support system.

High quality, ceramic roof tiles can last up to 70 years. This roofing material is more expensive than asphalt, but it adds a distinctive element to the curve appeal of a home. Avoid poorly made tiles. Early deterioration is common among tiles with inconsistent enamel finishes.

Metal Roof Materials: Aluminum shingles and other forms of metal roofing materials can offer various practical advantages over the typical roofing system. Questionably defined as “Maintenance Free,” aluminum roof products offer sustainable protection for residential and commercial applications. Planet Green is one of the major selling points for metal roofing. Aluminum roofs are energy efficient, resistant to insects, and void of several major environmental pollutants related to shingle tearing and/or shake slitting. The typical design of aluminum shingles reflects the charisma of wood shakes less the ongoing maintenance requirements.

Other benefits associated with aluminum roof products include:

• Lightweight: No need for additional structural reinforcement.
• Recyclable Materials: Aluminum roof material is environmentally friendly.
• Host Resistant: Aluminum roofing will not support the growth of mildew, moss, or fungus.
• Sturdy: Aluminum roofs do not crack, split, or corrode, making this product highly suitable to coastal environments.

A Host of Roofing Materials

Asphalt, ceramic shingles, and aluminum shingles merely point up a starter selection of roofing options. Modern roofing products include the likes of concrete, plastic, fiberglass, and others.

Perhaps the time for a complete roof replacement is at hand. Study up and consider the options. Think about reliability, longevity, durability, and suitability. Add in the concept of a desired look and feel.

When you get ready, Zimmerman Enterprises, Kanga Roof is here to help you make that final decision and to ensure that the quality of the final product meets your full expectations.

Contact Us: 704392-0720

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