Ideally, you should have things installed on your roof by a qualified roofing contractor. But the next best thing is to use an experienced installer for your solar panels or satellite dish, and then have a roof inspection afterwards.
Here are three reasons why a professional roof inspection is so helpful in this scenario.
1. Foot Traffic Can Damage Roof
Whether you have an asphalt or fiberglass shingle roof, a metal roof, or a tile roof, walking across its surface could damage it. Roofing materials are especially easy to damage when someone carries or drags something heavy across the roof’s surface. If the installers aren’t roofing professionals, they may not always realize the damage they’re doing.
In addition, a roof is especially easy to damage if it’s already older because UV rays tend to oxidize the surface, making it more brittle. This is one reason why installers often recommended that you get a new roof just before installing a solar array.
2. Installers May Not Flash and Seal Correctly
Another downside is that the non-roofers may not be experts at flashing. Flashing is what roofers use to direct water away from vulnerable areas. For example, the edges around your chimney could allow gallons of water through your roof if the flashing didn’t divert the stream of water away. Installing anything that creates a roof penetration creates another of these vulnerable spots.
Some satellite dish installers have been known to drill through the shingles, install the dish, and provide no flashing at all. When you think about the installation as creating new holes in your roof, it becomes obvious how important flashing is.
In fact, flashing problems such as spots where flashing is damaged, incorrectly installed, or missing entirely are some of the top reasons for roof leaks. And different types of roofing may require different flashing systems for roof penetrations. So you should have a professional roofer inspect the installation after it’s complete.
3. Installations May Block Flow Patterns
In addition to drilling holes in the roof, another easy way to encourage a leak is to block the downward progress of rainwater as it tries to leave your roof. This is why chimney crickets were invented; if the chimney is wide enough to block the flow of water, you may need to keep the water from collecting to stop a leak.
Water that can’t drain properly anymore may form a puddle of standing water on your roof. This allows gravity to work against your roof rather than with it, drawing the water down through the roof to form a leak. Installations such as solar panels may block water drainage pathways inadvertently.
These three reasons show how valuable a professional roofing inspection can be after you’ve had something such as a solar array or a satellite dish installed on your roof. If you’ve considered having something installed on your roof soon, whether it’s solar, AC, or a satellite dish, get an inspection both before and after the installation.
A roofing professional can check the new installation as well as the rest of your roof and make sure there’s no recent damage or dodgy-looking flashing. Typically you should have a professional roof inspection every year as a bare minimum or twice a year if you can afford it. So if you haven’t had a roof inspection yet this year, now’s the time.
Amenity Roofing, Siding & Gutters LLC can help you assess the quality of an installation, check your roof for potential damage, and make recommendations on any roofing work you may need. Get in touch today to learn more about how we can help you with inspections as well as any repairs and replacements for your roofing system.
