subject: Molds, Lichens and Roof leaks [print this page] Molds, Lichens and Roof leaks Molds, Lichens and Roof leaks
Roof leaks can be caused by a lot of factors. It can be because of the wear and tear of your roofing system from the elements, or it can also be from the damages that your roof has incurred during heavy snow, rain fall and sometimes even during repairs. Roofs often times get dented and these dents often leads to puddles in the roofing where water accumulates and this will the lead to rust and sometimes even to molds and mildew.
Molds and Lichens often destroy your roof system. These organisms thrive in very humid environments where they can have access to water, sunlight and sometimes dirt. If this description somehow describes your roof, then I suggest you start cleaning it up and recoating it. Sometimes you will have these water puddles that were formed from dents and damages; they support the growth of many molds and lichens. Not to mention leaves that have accumulated on your gutter system, once this happens, it clogs up your gutter and the leaves will also start to bring along the lichens from the trees.
Once this happens, they will start to invade your roofing tiles and the cracks that have started to form along the roofing system. Your roofing tiles are porous and molds can easily penetrate them. Tiles are usually strong, when you install them properly with a good mortar, they can stick well to your roof, though they can normally carry up to two times its weight, when molds and lichens start to form, they will start to break and they will start to crack and get chipped off from the mortar.
When your tiles start falling off from your roof, it will start to leak inside your new home and trust me, you don't want to have a leaking roof, it might be best to start acting on the repairs right away. The sooner repairs can be done, the lesser the damage to your roof is, and the lesser your cost will be. You might want to protect your roof with a new coat of roofing paint after the damage has been repaired, the shingles and the mortar replaced and once the molds have been cleaned up.
Another factor that you might want to consider is the gutter system. Without proper gutter protection, your roof will start to accumulate leaves and other debris. Once this happens, gutters will start to clog up and it will start to accumulate water and the process starts over again. With professional roof gutter guards, you can effectively shield your gutter systems from debris and other things. All these can help you fight against roof leak.
