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Chimney liners are a very important component of the chimney, but the fact is most home and property owners either continue to overlook them or aren’t even aware of their existence. This is, however, quite understandable given the fact that they usually last a long period of time – more than 50 years. To ensure that they last that long, the question that arises is, do chimney liners need to be swept and cleaned? The short and simple answer to this question is yes, chimney liners definitely needs to be cleaned on a frequent basis. A chimney liner happens to be an essential part of your chimney. When it’s not cleaned, it tends to accumulate dust, soot and dirt which can give rise to a number of problems you’d rather want to avoid. Chimney liner are able to provide adequate protection to your flue but even at that the water, creosote and other contaminant build up can make the liner to deteriorate, and making it unsafe for usage. In other words, contrary to several belief, chimney liners do need the same amount of cleaning as chimneys without liners. Failure to sweep your chimney liners can give rise to the following problems:

• Creosote buildup. If your main source of fire is wood, then you’ll definitely have creosote present in your chimney. This is highly combustible and its buildup may lead to fire outbreak.
• Carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is said to be on the rise by NCBI and its primarily generated from heating systems which are terribly ventilated as a result of uncleaned or dirty chimneys.

The roof is a particularly important part of the home, providing weather and water protection. Therefore, it’s important to regularly check your guttering system and clean out any debris that could cause blockages.Advice given is to consider having a mesh gutter guard to prevent the build-up of leaves and other debris, especially if you want to harvest rainwater.

There are a few reasons why commercial buildings often have flat roofs. Lots of people argue that flat roofs aren’t as attractive as pitched roofs, which is why it’s uncommon to see a residential property with an entirely flat roof. Lots of commercial buildings don’t need to look attractive, so go for flat roofs because they’re cheaper.

Flat roofs tend to be less expensive than pitched roofs, especially for large, broad commercial buildings. Some commercial buildings simply couldn’t have a pitched roof because their width would mean that the roof would have to be extremely high. Flat roofs are also cost-effective for commercial buildings because it means that air conditioning and ventilation units can go on the roof, saving space in and around the building.

Commercial buildings also often have flat roofs because they don’t need the loft space that residential properties need. If there’s no need for the space, it doesn’t make sense to spend more money on a pitched roof just to keep the attic space empty. Flat roofs also give the commercial building owner the opportunity to use the space as a smoking area for employees or give access to fire escapes to upper floors.

If you’re having a commercial property build, make sure you speak to the experts about the type of roof that is suitable for you. If you’re planning on having air conditioning or ventilation systems installed within the property, you might be best off with a flat roof – but if you need some extra storage space, a pitched roof might work best for you.

A Velux window is a brand of roof window, but the brand is so popular that people often use the name to describe the entire type of window. They are windows that are installed at the same orientation and ‘in plane’ with the surrounding roof, and they’re usually installed at a minimum of a 15-degree pitch. You can buy roof windows that offer completely frameless internal views for a really clean look in your loft conversion, while some come with built-in shutters.

Velux windows aren’t to be confused with rooflights which usually refers to a glazed unit that’s installed on a flat roof. It might also mean a window that’s been installed on a pitched roof out of plane with the level of the tiling.

People also confuse roof windows with skylights, which normally can’t be opened or closed and are usually smaller than Velux windows. Skylights, therefore, only let daylight into the room whereas roof windows also help with ventilation.

If you’re using your loft as a room in your home rather than simply for storage, you must have a roof window installed. Skylights won’t be enough as they don’t allow for ventilation. It doesn’t have to be a Velux window – it can be any type of roof window. Luckily, they tend to come in standard sizes and they must be CE marked if they’re sold as a roof window, so they should be easy to find.

How To Clean Roof Lights

If you have existing roof lights or perhaps you’re about to have them installed, it’s important to know just how to have them cleaned, even if you wouldn’t be doing it yourself. Generally, glass roof lights fitted in flat roof applications are more likely to be a major victim of staining and discolouration by several elements like rainwater, bird droppings, vehicle exhaust pollutants as well as tree sap. Therefore, just like any other parts of your home, periodic inspection of the units as well as regular cleaning is highly advised to help maintain their top performance for a lengthy period of time.

Firstly, when installing the roof lights, it’ll be helpful if its fitted at the right pitch so as to help keep the exterior clean as it enables the elements such as rainwater to run off the surface naturally. Cleaning roof lights involves working at height which can be very dangerous. Therefore, if you lack the skill and confidence to pull this off, it’s advisable to hire the services of a professional who can guarantee the best results for help. In this article, we aim to give you a good insight into how the roof light cleaning process works. Let’s have a look!

Rooflight Interior Cleaning

✓ Spread plastic under the roof light to catch dirt and spills

✓ Dust to wipe clear all loose dirt and cobwebs.

✓ Use a squeegee with a warm soapy water or any other glass cleaning product to clean the glass ( steer clear of any harsh chemicals or abrasive cleaners)

✓ Dry the roof light with a soft and lint-free cloth.

Rooflight Exterior Cleaning

✓ Access the roof safely with a specialist ladder

✓ Put mild detergent into a bucket and carry up to the roof before filling with warm water from a hosepipe

✓ Use the soapy water and a non-abrasive cloth or squeegee to clean the roof light, its surroundings as well as fixings.

How To Clean And Maintain Metal Roofs

If you already have a metal roof or just planning to get one, you’d probably be interested in knowing the cleaning and maintenance procedures. Although, metal roof are widely known to be very easy to clean and maintain and also very durable and long lasting, it’s still strongly recommended that homeowners should do all in their power clean and to take care of their metal roof in order to ensure it they live up to their potentials. Cleaning your metal roofs regularly helps to minimize damaging element such as airborne dirt, pollen, organic material debris, pollution, mildew and lots more. If left unattended to, these unwanted elements can result in several negative issues over time as such as chalking. Due to fact that metal roofs normally features special coatings as well as paint, cleaning the roof is both easy and environmentally friendly, which removes the need to use toxic chemicals. With just plain water, you can effectively wash down dirt, dust and other debris from your metal roof.

While the cleaning process is quite simple, working at height can be incredibly dangerous. It requires skills and confidence, so if you lack either of these qualities, it’s advisable to call in a professional roof cleaning contractor for help. Below is a simple cleaning solution usful for most metal roofs.

✓ In the event whereby water alone isn’t enough, make a cleaning solution using a quarter cup detergent ( which should include car washing soap, mild laundry detergent, mild dish soap) for each gallon of water.

✓ Apply the mixture to the surface of the roof with a wash cloth and ensure to the application gently.

✓ After application, allow it sit for up to 15mins.

✓ Rinse the roof surface with plain water.

How to repair a flat roof depends on the type of flat roof you have. We’ll talk about how to repair felt, asphalt, fibreglass and EDPM flat roofs yourself. But ultimately if you want the best finish, it’s best to ask a professional to repair your flat roof for you. Repairing a flat roof Whether you’ve got an old pour-and-roll type felt roof or a newer torch-on felt flat roof, you can get cracks, lifting around joints, leaks or dips. As a temporary measure, you can buy a special paint that you paint over cracks. For a more permanent repair, you can add a patch of torched-on felt or add a layer on top. Asphalt flat roof repair As your asphalt flat roof gets older, you may notice blisters, cracks or shrinkage and sagging around flashings. Again, you can use a paint on fix from a tin as a temporary repair, or add heat-applied flashing tape around flashing. For a more permanent fix you can use a liquid system, but many are only available to the trade market. You can also add a patch of torched-on roofing felt over a crack. How to repair a fibreglass (GRP) flat roof Fibreglass flat roofs are usually excellent, but problems can involve leaking flashing and cracks near upstands, trims or board joints. You can add acrylic sealant to cracks or holes for a good DIY repair, but a flashing problem is more difficult to fix. You’ll need to clean and sand the affected area of flashing, then laminate a 600g chopped strand mat into place, cure it and add a topcoat colour to match the roof. That sounds like a job better left to a specialist. EDPM rubber flat roof repair Rubber roofs often suffer from shrinkage when mechanical fixings haven’t been used near upstands, flashing leaks or holes or cuts. If you’ve got a small tear that you want to repair, you can add some lap sealant to the area – but use it sparingly. For a more permanent repair to flashing, buy some self-adhesive flashing that will mould into shape easily. Clean the area you want to repair, add EDPM primer, then stick the patch of flashing on from the centre outwards with a hard roller. You can add lap sealant around the edges if you want more protection from water.