Roof maintenance tips for homeowners in the San Gabriel Valley

Look for loose ridge caps and keep metal flashings or sealant around chimneys and vents intact

If your roof is more than several years old, there are a few inspections you can do to make sure it’s not in need of repair and to make sure that you don’t need a new roof.

Local roofing contractor Thomas Garvey of Garvey Roofing, serves cities from Alhambra and Pasadena to Bradbury and Azusa, and he says there are simple but important steps you can take to see if your roof is healthy or is in need of repair or replacement.

Once a roof is properly installed, the materials are made to literally last for decades. But you should still do small things to look after your roof and see if it needs maintenance or if you’re in need of a new roof.

Understand how roofs degrade and the little things you can do to extend their life.

Roofing estimates from Garvey Roofing are always free and, in addition, Garvey Roofing makes a unique guarantee that other contractors don’t make: labor and materials are always guaranteed.

For more input on your roof, read the Garvey Roofing FAQ page.

Beware of the sun

What’s more damaging to roofs—rain or sun?

Our weather’s quite mild in this northeastern part of Los Angeles County. We don’t have extreme temperature differences from summer to winter like there are in other parts of the country like the Upper Midwest or northeast.

In fact, our temperatures only hit triple digits consistently during August and September.

And, yet, the sun bears down on roofs and starts a process of degrading shingles and heating attics. For tile roofs where the ventilation isn’t planned effectively, the heat can gradually degrade the underlayment.

Then the rains hit

When it rains along the foothills from La Canada to Monrovia, it can pound in January and February. When that occurs, granules on shingles are gradually washed away. The sun then further degrades the spots that become bare and shingles curl and the underlayment becomes compromised.

This is why it’s important to have a roof for all seasons, even in Southern California.

What you can do

Keep an eye on your roof, especially if it’s an older roof that’s more than 20 years old.

Once a year or once in the summer and once in the winter, look for:

shingles that are curling
excessive granules from shingles in gutters
tree branches, like California Scrub Oaks, scraping over shingles or tile roofs—cut them back
missing or loose ridge cap shingles—don’t go up a ladder to inspect if you’re not comfortable doing so
proper sealing/flashing around vents, skylights and chimneys
pooling water on low slope (flat roof) portions
bent drip edge
loose gutters

In the attic, once a year or after a rain look for water spots on the decking. Also, check the insulation. If it’s compressed and not fluffy, then it may be time for new attic insulation.

Here’s a principle of building science that’s important to remember: heat seeks cooler regions. The heat that penetrates the roof, will seep inside the attic and then heat up the home.

That’s why a roof made with the right decking, reflective underlayment and proper shingles and tiles is important to keep your home energy efficient.

A word about buildings

Buildings look stable as though they are perfectly still. But they’re not. Small tremors are common and so are the occasional Santa Ana winds. Movements in the building that you can’t detect along with wind gusts over the years can work ridge caps loose and the flashing.

Roofs degrade over a span of years. Newer materials are manufactured to last for 30 years to 50 years and companies like GAF do plenty of research to provide the latest and best roofing materials and technology.

But the materials must be properly installed.

Roofing is a craft that Thomas Garvey learned as a teenager and has continued as a tradesman running his own company for nearly 35 years.

He’ll work with customers to craft a roof that they’re proud of and that will serve them through the seasons.