Your roof is essential when it comes to protecting your home from the elements and nature in general. This is why roof maintenance is so important for homeowners.
When people think of roof maintenance, they typically think of roofing tiles, slates, protective membranes, and things of that nature. More often than not, things like the guttering and fascias are overlooked and are basically left to rot, metaphorically and physically.
In truth, your fascias are the unsung heroes as far as roof maintenance is concerned, which is why keeping them in top condition is so important. Unfortunately, all heroes have their vulnerabilities. For Superman, it was kryptonite. For Batman, it was his emotional vulnerability, and for your fascias? Well, it’s rot.
Fascia rot is known as the silent destroyer of roofs and guttering, which is why it’s so important to ensure your fascias are well protected.
Here are a few useful tips to help you do precisely that.
What is Fascia Rot?
Roof fascias are long boards which run along the exterior lower edge of your roof where the roof meets the edge of your home. They are designed to not only provide a sturdy mounting surface for your guttering, but they also help to neaten up the edges of your roof and provide aesthetic appeal.
As well as boosting the aesthetics and assisting with fitting the guttering, roof fascias also help to improve roofing stability and protection, as they prevent water, moisture, dust, debris, insects, and other detritus from getting under the tiles and potentially damaging the home.
Fascias come in a variety of different materials nowadays, but traditionally, they’re made from wood. Wood offers numerous advantages, but one key disadvantage is its vulnerability to moisture. Wood tends to absorb moisture, and when this happens it begins to rot and decay. This is effectively what fascia rot is.
Once your fascias begin to rot, it not only spreads, but it can lead to roof and guttering problems and can provide a handy entrance into your roof for unwanted pests and other critters. This is why many experts in the roofing field tend to refer to it as the ‘silent destroyer’ of roofs and gutters.
What Causes Fascia Rot?
As you might expect, fascia rot primarily affects wooden fascia boards and is caused by exposure to excess moisture. Now, some people believe that it’s rain that causes fascia rot, but that isn’t entirely true. Yes, rainwater is primarily responsible, but as roof fascias are treated with water-resistant oils, stains, and other treatments, rain alone doesn’t cause fascia rot. Instead, the main culprit is blocked or damaged gutters.
If your gutters are clogged with leaves, or are damaged and not draining correctly, this can allow water to collect and pool in them. If the fascias come into contact with pooling water, due to the porous nature of wood, it slowly but surely absorbs the water and becomes more and more waterlogged. Eventually, because it provides the perfect environment for fungi, fungi essentially digests its structural components and causes it to break down and decay into nothing.
Other causes of fascia rot include a lack of ventilation as well as a poorly installed fascia which allows water to pool and collect, rather than to drip and run away into the guttering. Basically, if excess water comes into contact with the fascias for a prolonged duration of time, rot could set in. If this happens, you’ve a very serious problem on your hands.
How to Prevent Fascia Rot
So, we know the function of roof fascias, we know what fascia rot is, and we know what causes it. What we don’t yet know, is how to prevent it. Well, don’t worry, because that’s about to change.
To help you keep your roof and guttering in the best possible condition, here’s a look at how to prevent fascia rot.
Carry Out Regular Inspections
When it comes to the prevention of fascia rot, it’s important to act fast. Prevention is far better than cure, especially in this instance so if you can diagnose small problems early, you can prevent them from becoming more serious ones.
Regular inspections of your roofing fascia boards are a great way of ensuring that they’re free of rot and in the best possible condition. Look for any signs of rot such as discoloration, holes, loose chippings, flaking paint, mold, or visible moisture. You should also inspect your gutters for that same reason. If they’re blocked or damaged, get that taken care of right away, as the problem will only get worse.
Clean Those Gutters
As we touched upon earlier, blocked gutters are a primarily culprit of fascia rot, as they can lead to water pooling and collecting, rather than draining away. A simple way to prevent this is to clean your gutters.
Of course, just after fall is the perfect time to clean your gutters as they’ll be blocked with leaves from the trees. However, it’s important to clean them several times a year, especially after bad weather, which could dislodge moss and other debris on your roof, which would then be rinsed off in the rain, right into your gutters.
Ensure There’s Plenty of Ventilation
Rainwater alone isn’t the main cause of fascia rot. If it was, the only way to prevent it would be to stop it raining, and you can’t stop Mother Nature. The problem is when fascia boards stay in contact with water for too long. This then allows fungi to form and eat away at the wood. Adequate ventilation can prevent this.
Both inside your home and around the fascias themselves, make sure there is plenty of ventilation and sufficient airflow. This will dry out the wood quickly before mold, fungi, and rot can take hold.
Replace Damaged Sections
If you find a single section of your fascia that appears to be damaged, if you’re happy everywhere else is fine, you can have this section repaired or replaced.
Providing the work is carried out correctly and quickly, this will nip the problem in the bud and prevent a bit of rot from turning into a much more serious problem.
Regularly Seal and Paint
Regularly sealing and painting your roof fascias isn’t just a great way to keep them looking great, it’s also a great way of protecting against rot.
Applying a layer of waterproof sealant and/or paint will provide a protective barrier against moisture and prevent fascia rot from taking hold. How frequently you paint and/or seal will depend on the climate in which you live. The more rain or the higher the humidity, the more frequently you should paint and seal.
