With roofs positioned so high up off the ground, it’s easy to forget they are there, at least to the point of regularly looking for signs of damage.
If they seem to be working everything is fine, right? Well, that may not always be the case.
Sometimes, roofing can be failing before it starts to leak or some other very obvious sign shows itself.
If you notice any of these 7 warning signs with your roof, it’s time to make a call to a qualified roofer to inspect your installation and make necessary repairs before it’s too late!
1. Missing, Broken, or Dark Shingles
An important sign that shingle roofs are damaged and need some attention is missing shingles, shingles that are broken, chipped, or split, or dark spots on groups of shingles.
When in good condition, shingles remain flexible enough that they endure this kind of damage; however, as they age or dry out due to UV damage, breaking and chipping becomes more common.
Dark spots on your roof indicate a loss of the protective granule coating, which over time can attribute to the decomposition of the materials.
2. Curling or Bubbling Shingles
Another sign that the shingles are considerably damaged and should be replaced is the edges curling upward or the whole shingle bowing outward.
In both cases, it means the layers of roofing have separated from each other and the adhesive seal is broken, allowing the shingles to lift up and lose their watertightness.
3. Sagging Rooflines
A healthy roof with a strong framework has straight beams and planes as well as straight angles.
Any kind of sagging, whether between the trusses, along the support beams, along the ridge, or anywhere else is a big red flag that there could be a significant roof problem and a roofer should be called to investigate.
Typically, sagging only happens when there is a loss of integrity due to rot or some other cause for these parts to lose their strength and sag under the weight of the roofing materials.
4. Exposed Nail Heads
When they are put in, roofing nails lay completely flat against the surface of the shingles.
Nailheads that are standing above the shingles indicate that the shingles have lost their adhesion as well as their watertightness and are lifting up.
If there are more than one or two nailheads visible in a given area, a roofing contractor should be brought in to take a look before leaks begin.
5. Increasing Utility Bills
A sound, sealed roof with the right amount of ventilation is a critical element for reduced heating and cooling bills.
If utility bills start rising and there is no other explanation as to why, the problem could be a roofing issue.
Ventilation problems and decomposition of the shingles themselves so they can no longer reflect UV rays could be the problem.
6. Damaged or Missing Flashing
One of the easiest places for leaks to start on any roof is under the flashing, which is supposed to seal over the exposed edges of the roofing material.
If the flashing around protrusions, roof angles, and valleys is damaged or missing, this is an invitation for leaking to begin.
A roofer should be called in immediately to repair or replace roof flashing before this leads to much bigger issues.
7. Signs of Water Damage on the Inside
Just because there is no obvious, visible evidence of rrof leaking from the outside does not mean it isn’t happening.
Any kind of water damage under the roof such as wood rot, wet insulation, mold, water stains, wet attic contents, as well as shifting or cracking drywall can all mean there are active leaks that are hidden from view.
Undiscovered leaks that go on for some time can end up causing significant damage to your roof as time goes on.
Any of These Warning Signs Point To Roof Damage
The take-home message here is that even though the roof at the top of any home or building is easy to forget about, doing so could pave the way for unnoticed damage to appear over time.
It’s essential to call in roofers for routine inspections to check for underlying damage and equally important to watch for changes that could mean roof problems have developed.
Watch for these 7 signs of roofing damage between inspections so you can catch small issues before they turn into much bigger problems.