The weapons that Mother Nature can wield are pretty staggering. Just think about the fact the Grand Canyon was carved out with water. Given that fact, is it really any surprise that your home is going to have issues at some point?
Your roof is by far the key to making your home livable. Without it, walls, kitchens, bathrooms and the like are fairly useless. Roof systems are very advanced, so much so that we do not really think about them till there is a problem.
A roof is amazing because of the beating it takes. Even if you live in a sunny area, it sits under the hot sun day after day after day. Throw in rain, snow and wind, and it is amazing your roof survives more than a year or two.
Despite this beating, a modern roof will last a minimum of fifteen years. It is so well built that the manufacturers will even warrant it. It can even last much longer, but much depends on the elements it has to deal with each year.
The number one threat to your roof is also the subtlest. If we could harness it, one day of sunlight would supply the energy needs for the entire world for a year. That is a lot of power, yet your roof will only fail slightly each day as it fights the sun off.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is precipitation. Your roof is like the hull of a boat upside down. It sheds the water to the edge and off the home in gutters. One small hole in that hull, however, lets water in and it spreads to cause a host of problems.
Wind is an element that can cause damage in a couple of ways. First, it can bring things crashing down on your roof. Second, it can peal back areas of the roofing, exposing them to other elements.
Snow and ice can be real roof killers. The problem is you get a frozen horizontal area. The moisture backs up behind it and will penetrate the roof. As it refreezes, it will bend up the roof and create moisture access points.
Many of us love beautiful trees in our yards. They are great, but can be deadly if the limbs hit your roof. Even if they just sit on the roof, they introduce spots for mold and can scrape back and forth in the wind causing physical damage.
In areas out of the sun, algae and moss can grow on a roof. Either can be a problem because the slowly penetrate the waterproofing on the roof. If you see them, have them removed. A pressurized water sprayer will often do the trick.
You have to be proactive to make your roof last longer than 15 years. The key is to have it cleaned once a year. Also, make sure to check it after every storm and deal with any problems like broken shingles immediately. Small fixes are cheap. Big roof fixes are not.