Winter is upon us once again in the Cincinnati, Ohio area, and with that comes frigid temperatures, blowing snow, and wet Cincinnati roofs. If you own a home in Cincinnati, the last thing you want to experience is mold in your home. Mold is caused by excess moisture, and in this short guide, you will be informed of the top four reasons mold occurs in or around your roof and how to prevent it from happening to you!
1. Damaged Cincinnati roofs
Structural damage to your roof can arise from a variety of issues. Did a massive thunderstorm roll through this summer and blow shingles off your roof or do damage to the roof deck? Did a branch from a nearby tree fall onto your roof or smokestack and cause chimney repairs? If so, this damage to your roof can cause moisture to seep in. This can occur without you knowing and is a slow process that continues to worsen. It can create mold growth on the wood roofing deck, on the insulation, on the shingles, and even in the drywall if it is a significant leak. Make sure to keep limbs trimmed back that hang over your roof. Also, inspect your roof and exterior painting anytime a storm, or high winds occur.
2. Clogged gutters/ice damming
Another way mold can find its way onto Cincinnati roofs and into your home is if you have plugged gutters. Gutters need to be cleaned out regularly to rid them of the debris of leaves, twigs, seeds, and any other rubbish that falls into them. If left plugged, the rainwater from the summer or the melting snowpack in the winter would cause the troughs to overflow. The water will sit near the foundation and HVAC system and can cause shifting of the infrastructure as well as mold growth.
Ice damming is another way that mold can occur. Ice damming occurs when the roof heats up quickly, and the snowpack melts rapidly causing rushing water to hit the still cold gutters and refreeze. This chunk of ice causes excess weight to your gutters and can damage them. Mold can occur on the roof where the water has frozen and thawed repeatedly. Make sure to clean out your gutters regularly to prevent clogged gutters and ice damming.
3. Improper insulation/ventilation/condensation
Your attic can play a part in mold growth of Cincinnati roofs as well. If your attic is not well insulated, warm air can escape to the roof causing the snow to melt and ice damming to occur as mentioned above. Ventilation needs to be appropriately installed in your attic to keep the air circulating and the heat loss to remain at a minimum. It also needs to be slightly cooler air circulating than what is in the rest of the house. This keeps the heat in and ice damming from occurring. Condensation is another area in which mold can form. If the insulation is poor, condensation can occur in the attic or the basement, and this moisture is a perfect breeding ground for mold. Make sure to set up a dehumidifier to rid your home of the excess dampness. If you need assistance adding extra insulation or ventilation, hire an experienced handyman to perform the work for you.
As you can see, there are multiple reasons as to why mold occurs in your home and especially on Cincinnati roofs. Whether it is due to structural damage to your roof, ice damming or poorly draining gutters, or improper ventilation, if your home develops mold from the dampness, just know it can be repaired with remodeling. If you follow our advice on the top four reasons mold occurs in or around your home’s roof and how you can avoid it, you will have the driest, most beautiful, and functioning home in all of Ohio!
