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?

What is the most important section of your house? The foundation? The kitchen? None of these is worth anything if the roof over your head is not functioning properly. In this article, we take a look at all it does and what attacks it.

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.

As mentioned, your roof cannot escape the rays of the sun. They do damage in two ways. The ultraviolet radiation slowly decays the roof. The process of heating up during the day and cooling off during the day also slowly destroys the roofing.

The opposite of sunny conditions is rain. A roof is designed to deal with the threat of rain and does it well, but one small leak can let water spread in the ceiling. When it heats up, rot, mold and mildew become big problems.

Harnessing power from the wind is becoming popular. Alas, wind is not so popular when it comes to roofing. It can peel parts off or, more often, deposit flying objects on the roof that do a lot of damage when they land.

You have probably seen how glaciers moved huge boulders. Well, ice and snow can do similar things to your roof. Water gets under edges and then freezes. When it freezes, it expands and pushes up on the edges. This creates areas for water to get in to the roof and do damage.

Trees may seem like an odd thing to mention, but they are roof killers. The problems start when limbs sit on the roof or branches rub against tiles. In the wind, they will peal off roofing and give water an access point. Cut trees back.

If you have areas of your roof that do not see much direct sun light, you need to monitor them closely. Why? Algae and moss can grow in those areas. As they do, they can degrade the roofing and allow water in through thousands of tiny holes. It is a disaster.

Any of these elements can dramatically shorten the life of your roof. You cannot do much about many of them, so plan on having maintenance done on your roof once a year. A little expenditure now will save you from a high dollar repair later on.

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