Is Ice and Water Shield Necessary For Your Roof?

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Is Ice and Water Shield Necessary For Your Roof?

We are all aware that roofs are designed to keep water, snow, and debris from accumulating at your roof. Shingles and other roofing materials have been specifically designed to redirect the flow of water and ice towards the necessary gutter and drainage systems.

However, horizontally propelled rain, hail, and snow can easily seep towards the crannies and crevices of your shingles if left unchecked. Homeowners might find this a tedious task to do since they will need to hire a skilled roofer to check for damages constantly. 

But what if you’re on a tight budget and you don’t have the means to hire a professional roofer to perform surveys on your roof? An alternative but also a good solution is to install ice and water shielding on your roof.

If you live in an area that receives a good amount of precipitation and snow coverage, then it is necessary to have ice and water shielding. Although rain and snow will not cover your house for the entire year, preparations are still necessary if you want your roof and home’s lifespan to be lengthened considerably. 

Ice and Water Shielding 

In some parts of the country, ice and water shielding are known as a felt paper or a thick layer right underneath your roof. This layer prevents water and ice from seeping into the main structure and framework of your roof. 

If ever water seeps into your roof’s framework, this can lead to several problems that can form molds and mildews while encouraging rotting of wood and rusting on metal beams.

Damage from Water and Ice 

Shingles have been designed for rainfall which naturally falls in a vertical manner. There will be certain instances where the wind is strong enough to propel rain horizontally towards the cracks and crannies of your shingles which can cause water to seep inside your roof. Additionally, the accumulating weight of snow can also crack your shingles; this can create passageways in the form of valleys and holes on your roof that can cause water to flow into your roof. 

You might be asking yourself “Okay, so what if water flows into my roof’s framework? A little rain won’t hurt, right?” Yes, a little rain might not hurt, but just imagine that your roof has been exposed to rain and snow for months and even years, the damage can easily accumulate on your roof’s framework by slowly chipping away at your house’s foundations without you even noticing. 

Damages caused by water and ice can lead to a chain reaction of other problems on your roof. Some of the most common problems that water and ice can cause are:

• Corroding your house and roof’s foundation – If your house’s walls and foundation are made out of natural stone and concrete, it can be easily corroded by flowing water that can seep through cracks and crannies on your roofing system, your walls, and even the basement of your house. 
• Increases moisture – A tell-tale sign that moisture and water has penetrated your roofing system would be your ceilings ‘sweating’ droplets of water. If moisture us trapped within your home, this can lead to molds, mildews, and mosses easily forming on eaves, sidings, and walls.
• Accumulates as weight – There have been cases of snow accumulating on the roofs of houses during the winter. The added weight of snow can easily overpower the supporting beams of the roof and the foundation which can warp shingles, sidings, and other roofing materials. In more extreme cases, roofs can collapse if they give in to the sheer amount of weight. 

A common mistake that homeowners do is that they skip the installation of ice and water shielding since they get to easily save up hundreds of dollars. In the short term, they might be able to save, but this is inadvertently lead to more problems for their roofs that can lead to several problems that will ironically cost them hundreds to thousands of dollars if unaddressed. 

Long story short; ice and water shielding are very necessary for your roof. Even if you’re living in a warm and dry area in the United States, chances are it will still rain and you will still have to defend your roof from the different elements of nature. After all, nature is unpredictable so it is always to your best interest to have a versatile and adaptive roof that can easily keep your house’s foundations and interior dry. 

If you’re still on the fence on whether you should install some ice and water shielding for your roof, then it is always a good choice to consult a professional roofing contractor known for the installation of ice and water shielding for your roofing Livingston NJ, while also extensively checking your roof for any damages and imperfections.

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