Queensland Roof Maintenance In Spring
We are now officially in Spring in Queensland and we’re beginning to look towards the stormier weather on the horizon and getting our homes and gardens secured for inclement weather. Now is the perfect time to get your roof checked out for any potential roof repairs and general maintenance and to check the pointing on your roof ridge caps and hip caps to ensure it is in prime condition for the summer storm season.
One of the regular roof maintenance enquiries we receive here at Roof Co Group is when a homeowner looks up and notices cracks or gaps in their roof’s ridge caps. It is so important that the ridges along a roof do not have cracks or gaps as this will allow water to seep below into the roof bed and will damage the integrity of your roof.
What Are Ridge Caps, Roof Re-Pointing and Roof Re-Bedding?
Let’s start at the beginning. At the highest point of a roof there are triangular shaped tiles that sit where the two roof areas intersect and this is called the ridge capping. It is the roof pointing and roof bedding that fixes the roof capping to the roof.
Pointing is the flexible waterproofing compound applied to exposed edge tiles, ridge caps, hip caps and barge caps to protect the roof from moisture and water ingress. Re-pointing is a method whereby the loose or broken mortar is scraped away and replaced with new. As a result, homeowners normally will request this work to be undertaken when the roof tiles still have life in them, but the ridge has begun to fail.
Roof Bedding is a cement mortar mix that holds the roof tiles in place. Over a period of time, and exposure to extreme weather conditions, it will incur natural wear which will result in loose tiles and broken mortar. If the bedding is not well maintained it can easily crack and fall away, therefore, leaving your tiles loose and exposed. Loose tiles will easily become a health and safety problem if they were to fall.
It is a good idea to get your roof-pointing occasionally checked by a professional roofer as part of your annual maintenance schedule as the longer you leave cracked or broken roof pointing the more likely you will also have to fix your roof re-bedding, which is a much more costly and time-consuming job.
New red metal tiled roof house roofing construction exterior.
What To Look For?
Sometimes it is obvious when there is a problem with a roof’s pointing especially when it is an older roof or a single-story house where it can be easier to see from ground level. We do not recommend that people climb onto their roof and inspect it themselves as it is very dangerous and easy to fall from a height. From ground level look for cracks and gaps in the pointing on the ridge capping. If you see a gap or crack, then it is time to call in the professionals to take a closer look. Unfortunately, it is more difficult to spot any issues with the roof bedding and it will definitely need a closer inspection from a professional roofer.
Be safe not sorry and call our helpful team today to organise your free quote on roof re-pointing and re-bedding.
To obtain an obligation FREE roof consultation and quotation contact our team on 0405 806 433 or [email protected] ABN: 81 371 768 632 QBCC: 15130411.