Top 10 Things You Should NOT Do To Your Roof

They do make professional roof mounts for your basketball hoop, but it is not recommended. The basketball hitting the hoop over and over causes vibration, which causes the bolts to break the seal of your roof. Broken seals cause leaks. The ball hitting your roof shingles, gutters, and siding can also cause damange.  We really recommend getting a hoop pole installed on the side of your driveway so your kids aren't banging the ball against the house. That small investment for the pole and cement will save you a lot in the end. 

Same as the basketball hoops, a roof-mounted satellite dish means someone screwed bolts into your roof. Sometimes mastic will be sandwiched between the dish mount and the roof, but it can leak. ***Ask your provider to use an under eave bracket instead.

Anything you attach to your shingles using nails or screws can cause leaks. They make fantastic clips now (or even lights with clips) and that small purchase could save your bigtime later!

If you have black algae stains streaking down your roof, you may be tempted to get up there and power wash or brush it. Either that or you may be considering using an abrasive cleaner.

The problem is, even though power washing will remove the algae, it will also remove the mineral granules that protect your shingles from sun, heat, impact, and fire. This lessens the lifespan of your roof. Contact a roofing professional to assess the problem or contact a specialized roof cleaner. 

Never ignore debris piled up in the valleys of your roof. Twigs, branches, leaves, seeds, etc... causes water to dam up, rot, and leak inside your home.

It's important to keep those gutters cleared out so water can drain. . Anything that lets water sit anywhere on your roof is just asking for water leaks inside your home.

Plus, if you let that go too long and it gets to be winter, you are looking at the number one factor for ice dam formation, which will cause leaking and damage to your roof and home.

Maybe you’ve seen this happen before. A homeowner or contractor wanted to save money and put a new roof over an old damaged one.

Don’t let it happen to your roof. Make sure when you are replacing your roof that you hire a company that does things right. Old and damaged roofing needs to be removed before any new installation.

Remember the show 3rd Rock From The Sun with John Lithgow? They were always walking and hanging out on the roof. It is not a good idea. Walking on a roof rubs the granules off of the shingles. Fewer granules mean less protection and effects the lifespan overall. Hire a licensed roofing professional instead if you need to get up there and no hanging out. 

Resist the urge to pull up shingles to search for leaks yourself, no matter how handy you are. Unless you are a professional contractor, you will very likely create more leaks while you’re up there doing that. In addition, and scarier for consumers, you may void any warranty in effect. 

Skylights and roof vents are all fun and games until someone’s roof gets ruined. Be very careful about hiring someone to install things that require cutting holes in your roof.

Professional contractors know that if you open a hole in your roof, it must be repaired correctly to prevent roof leaks. You must install flashing around the entire opening. A little sealant won’t do the trick.