Tips To Reduce The Risk Of Fire Damage On Roof
Remember that your roof is essential to protecting your family and home. So when it becomes damaged, it won’t provide the complete protection it should be able to give you. Roof fires can be especially damaging to your home, and they pose serious risks as well. This problem can only come over when the roofing contractor in humble guides you in the material, which reduces the risk of fire damage on a roof.
Fire resistance roofing material:
Roofing materials are designated with specific fire ratings based on fire resistance ability. Roofing contractor in humble uses these ratings to distinguish the safety level of various roofing materials. Typically, the flammability of your roof will determine how much fire damage it can withstand. That said, you should go with roofing materials that can provide ample protection against roof fires.
Class A roofing systems are the most fire-resistant, while Class C roofs offer the lowest fire resistance. Unrated roofing does not offer any level of protection at all. If you are replacing your roof, make sure that your new roof is composed of Class A roofing materials.
- Metal roofing (naturally fire-resistance).
- Concrete or clay roof tiles (naturally fire-resistance)
- Slate tiles (naturally fire-resistance).
- Fibreglass-base asphalt shingle (Fire-resistance).
Keep your roofing clean:
If your roof is cluttered with debris, the debris could catch fire and burn long enough for the roofing material to ignite. Remember that fire-resistant roofing materials may still ignite if exposed to extremely high temperatures for a long time. To avoid the accumulation of debris, make sure to have your roof regularly cleared of debris.
Keep your chimney clean:
Don’t forget to clean your chimney as well. Because every time you light a chimney fire, partially combusted materials go up the chimney and stay there to form part of the debris and soot. Given the right conditions, these partially combusted materials and other organic waste could ignite and send sparks to your roofing.
Ensure the area around your home is clear:
Be mindful of the area around your home. Things like wood, grass, leaves, plastic and windblown debris can act as fuel and help create fire. Although these may not be directly found on your roofing, there is still a possibility that fire might get blown onto your roof during an outbreak. To reduce such risk, you should see that trees around your home are regularly trimmed. Do not stack firewood so close to your home, and minimize attached structures that could potentially spread fire to your home.
Fix gap on your roofing:
Existing damage to your roofing, such as gaps and cracks, could compromise even a fireproof roofing material. Missing shingles, for instance, will allow a fire to reach the inner structures of the roof, making the entire roof susceptible to fire. Make sure to have any gap on your roofing fixed immediately.
Inspect electrical wiring in your home:
Problems in electrical wiring are the leading cause of attic and roof fires. That said, it is recommended to have your electrical wiring checked by a professional if you suspect that you may have faulty wiring or if your home is old. Also, look for signs such as flickering bulbs and light fixtures that suddenly fail to turn on. These could indicate burned wires in your attic.
Check your ceiling insulation:
Ceiling insulation is not necessarily a fire hazard. But when it is installed poorly, or an electrical cable was not correctly installed alongside pre-existing insulation, then it becomes a problem. During a roof inspection, ensure your contractor checks if your roofing material has sufficient insulation around the vent pipe for generators. If the vent pipes lack adequate insulation, the heat coming from these pipes could deteriorate the roofing material.
Conclusion:
Several measures can be taken to reduce the risk of fire damage to the roof. One of the most important is ensuring the roof is adequately ventilated. It will help to prevent any buildup of heat or combustible materials on the roof, which could lead to a fire. Another measure that can be taken is to use fire-resistant materials for the roofing, such as metal or concrete. Finally, it is also essential to have an adequate fire suppression system in place if a fire breaks out.