The wild weather of the last few weeks is showing up the weaknesses of quite a few roofs in Geelong. Any suspect roof issues needs attention asap as it’s the main defence your house has against the weather. Here are 4 kinds of common issues that come up and that you can often fix yourself with some basic roofing supplies.

If you’re trying to fix a roofing issue and need advice on roofing supplies that might help solve your issue please snap a photo and bring it in with you. Also see our roofing supplies page and if you have a question you can contact us here.

Wind damage

As wind passes over your roof it creates pressure and vacuums that can eventually loosen nails and screws which if left unchecked can start to break down your roof. Once there’s enough damage a piece of flashing may start to come loose giving the wind a point to get underneath and continue to cause damage. Simple roofing supplies such as a box of tek screws plus a ladder, a drill bit and an afternoon tightening things up can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Leaks around rooftop equipment

Air conditioners, skylights and antennas are a big contributor to roof leaks and damage. Your risk of leaks depends largely on how these items were installed and how long ago that was. If the job was done properly there is less risk of leaks but often installers run beads of silicon to close small gaps and when they fail the leaks begin. Simple roofing supplies such as a new tube of silicon, a knife and some mineral turps to clean off the old stuff could save you a lot of money in the long run.

Weathered sheets, tiles or slates

If you’re finding that actual sheets, slates or tiles are failing then it might be a sign that your roof is getting to an age that needs complete replacement, however sometimes there is isolated damage due to a design flaw or rubbing from tree branches. The best thing to do is identify what needs replacing as soon as possible, pick up those replacement roofing supplies and get that damaged sheet, tile or slate fixed before the problems spread or you get internal water damage.

Lack of general maintenance

The easiest way for a roof to fail is the build up of leaves, mud from dust and other rubbish that accumulates as the wind blows in and the rain falls. As this material breaks down it can block water from draining which adds load to the spouting and starts to erode the corrosion protection. To fix this you don’t even need roofing supplies! All you need to do is get up on that roof annually with gloves and clean out those gutters and anywhere else you’re seeing build up.