Most roofing repairs in Montgomery County Maryland can be easily fixed. Finding a roofing company you can rely on of course is another issue completely! Most roofing companies are probably pretty busy this time of year repairing roof leaks and preventing ice dams on homes in Montgomery County Maryland.

This article will explain how most Maryland roofing companies find and fix leaks on asphalt shingle roofs, as well as maintenance suggestions for gutters and vent pipes. Make sure the companies estimating your roofing repairs have Liability Insurance, Workers Compensation and a Maryland Home Improvement License, since working on any Maryland roofing system can be a dangerous proposition!

Here is a quick run down on what most Maryland roofing companies do for repairing roof leaks on asphalt shingle roofs.

Asphalt shingle roofs are usually easy for roofing companies to fix. First they will go to the leak point, look for damaged, curled, or missing asphalt shingles. At every place where two surfaces meet and around every smokestack or vent, the roofing company will look for breaks in the flashing or caulking or for gaps in the lines of roof cement.

If they can't see any damage to the asphalt shingles or flashing in the leak area, the roofer will have to see if the cause of the roof leak is inadequate flashing or simply deterioration of the asphalt shingles.

If the roofer finds evidence of asphalt shingle troubles, repairs are fairly simple. curled-back asphalt shingles can be reattached with asphalt roof cement or compound in tubes for use with a caulking gun. In warm weather, the roofer can easily straighten out the warped asphalt shingle. In cold weather, asphalt shingles become very delicate and must be softened before they can be flattened out.

To soften a brittle asphalt shingle, carefully use a propane torch with a flame-spreader nozzle. Make sure that this is done carefully, and that the roofer has a fire extinguisher handy, leaving the torch in one place for too long can easily catch the roof on fire! Most companies performing roofing repairs in Montgomery County Maryland know that they have to apply the flame carefully to the curled edges of the asphalt shingle; so it gets just warm enough to soften but not hot enough to catch fire. Then they will flatten the edges of the asphalt shingle.

To repair asphalt shingle roofs, the roofing company will apply roof cement generously to the bottom; a good dollop of cement at each corner is usually enough. Then the roofing repair company will press the asphalt shingle firmly into place.

If asphalt shingles are torn, rotten, or missing, they should be replaced with new ones. Any asphalt shingle that lifts right off the roof with no effort should always be replaced.

If the roofer finds a large area of crumbled asphalt shingles, the roofer may need a whole new roof. If so, consider calling a few roofing companies to get comparable estimates. Otherwise, just have the roofing company replace the damaged asphalt shingles with shingles left over from the previous roof installation.

When most Maryland roofing companies replace damaged asphalt shingles, they follow this procedure:

Part 1: Remove damaged asphalt shingles, lift edges of surrounding asphalt shingles, and carefully remove nails with pry bar, then they just slide out old asphalt shingle. If there's loose or brittle roof cement left under it, they will scrape the area clean. When asphalt shingles are blown off by a storm, the roofing company will remove any protruding nails left in roof. Nails that don't stick up can be left in place.

Part 2: Next the roofing company will round off the back corners of the shingle to make it easier to slide new asphalt shingle into place, this is usually done with a utility blade.

Part 3: Then the roofing company will slide new asphalt shingle into gap, with its front edge aligned with asphalt shingles on each side and its back edge under asphalt shingles in row above it.

Part 4: Finally the roofing company will lift the corners of overlapping asphalt shingles and fasten the top of new asphalt shingle with galvanized roofing nails, about 1" in from the edge but driven through the corners. Good roofing companies will always cover nail heads with roofing cement, then smooth down any overlapping asphalt shingle edges.

Remember, when hiring a Maryland roofing company to repair roof leaks, or missing shingles on your home do some research. I would also recommend that you get a copy of my free guide on hiring contractors for roofing repairs and other services. Make sure any roofing repair companies you hire have a reputation for doing the job right, and will warranty the work they do for at least 90 days.