Mississippi Roofing Contractor

Uncategorized

Understanding the Whole Roof System

By August 9, 2021 No Comments

Understanding the Whole Roof System. The roof system that is protecting you and your family is a total stranger for you. The roof that is becoming a barrier between you and the outside world and protecting you from harsh conditions is the one about whom you know very little. Even if you see a roof, even then you are only seeing the shingles that are visible from the ground. Usually, people know very rarely about the roof.

Honestly speaking, you must know about your roof when it comes to replacing it. Let’s take a look at all the different parts of the roof system and know about them and their functions. For that you might have to peel off the shingles, just kidding, we will give you a complete overview of everything in this article

Understanding the Whole Roof System

The anatomy of your whole roof system

A roof system consists of the following parts which are listed below:

  • Roofing Deck:Provides support
  • Underlayment: Prevents water intrusion
  • Flashing: Sheds water
  • Shingles: Sheds water
  • Ventilation : Circulates air

Every part is playing a crucial role in the whole roof system that cannot be ignored. Let’s have a detailed look at these.

The Roofing Deck

The roof deck is the first and the structural foundation of the roofing system. You can often see the roof deck from inside the attic and all of the roofing materials are attached to this deck. It is this deck that supports the weight of the whole roof, snow, and water. It will even support the falling tree branches so that they do not fall in the house.

The deck is also the last layer of protection between the home and the outdoors, the first layer is the shingles. The deck needs to be strong, tightly put so that no air or water leaks through it. 

Roof decking is usually made from plywood or composite material and the thickness of the roof deck depends on the slope of the roof. More the slope less would be the thickness of the roof deck.

Roofing Underlayment

Underlayment is the added layer of water-resistant in the roof deck that is directly attached to the deck. The underlayment acts as the blanket protection for the deck and it also plays a role in supporting the weight of the roofing system.

Underlayment comes under the shingles and they act as a breathable barrier and can be fire-rated as it can help in minimizing the spread of fire. The different types of roofing underlayment are:

  • Asphalt-saturated felt
  • Non-bitumen synthetic underlayment
  • Rubberized asphalt underlayment

Flashing

This item of the roofing system is the corrosion-resistant metal that is applied to the roof at the edge of the walls or chimneys. It is made up of materials like galvanized steel, aluminum, terne, stainless steel, or copper and you can easily see when you look at the roof.

The flashing main role is related to the health of the roof. Flashing gets rid of water that could have penetrated the shingles and underlayment to the deck of the rood.

The four types of flashing are listed below:

  • Step Flashing: Applied directly to a roof
  • Cap Flashing: Applied to a chimney or wall
  • Drip Edge: Applied to the outer edges of a roof
  • Valley Flashing: Applied to roof valleys.

Roofing Shingles

Shingles are the outermost part of the roofing system and it is the one that is visible clearly through it. Asphalt shingles are the most common type of shingles that you might see in every house. Almost 80 percent of the homes use asphalt shingles. They have a good 20 to 30 years of lifespan if kept with care and regular inspection is done. 

Roof Ventilation

Ventilation is the most important part of the roof and without that your whole roof would and home might get into trouble. For ventilation systems, there are different vents present in the roofs, some are known as edge vents and some are known as ridge vents. These vents can help in removing the air from the attic avoiding any kind of damage to the deck of the roofing system. Moreover, it also helps in avoiding condensation to happen there. 

To understand your roofing system call Matlock Roofing today in Purvis, Petal, Sumrall, and Hattiesburg, MS at 601-299-4048.

Call Now Button Skip to content