When you buy your first home, you may be overwhelmed at all the responsibilities you have. A home is a big investment, so you want to care for it with preventative maintenance and quick repairs. For instance, you need to keep your roof in good shape so you can prevent water damage to your home. Here are some roofing maintenance tips that could help you get the longest life out of your asphalt shingle roof.

1. Have Your Roof Checked After A Bad Storm

Make it a habit to check your roof after a storm. Look for lifted shingles and debris on the roof that needs to be removed. You can usually make these checks yourself by looking at your roof from your yard.

If your area has an unusually bad storm with strong winds or hail, then it may be worth it to hire a roofing contractor to look for damage. Hail is damaging to asphalt roofing if the stones are large enough, but the damage can be difficult to evaluate unless you're a roofer.

The pounding of the hail can damage shingles bad enough that you need a new roof to prevent leaking in the future. If you spot any damaged shingles after a storm, call a roofer so repairs can be done promptly.

2. Keep Your Roof Clean

If you don't have trees close to your house, you may not have to worry about debris on the roof and moss growth. If you have trees that hang over the roof, you may want the trees trimmed so their branches don't fall on the roof all the time.

Branches can scrape off granules as they blow across the shingles, and a loss of granules escalates the aging of your roof. Leaves hold moisture against the roof that could lead to mold and rotting. Leaves should be removed from your roof and gutters too.

If your house is in the shade, algae and moss could become problems. Algae can make your roof look ugly, but it's not as harmful as moss that lifts shingles with its roots and causes leaking. If you see moss or algae growing on your roof, clean it off before it gets out of hand and becomes an eyesore or causes roof damage.

3. Have Your Roof Examined When It Gets Old

As your roof approaches the end of its life, it's more vulnerable to damage from wind and rain. Different asphalt shingles have different lifespans and warranties, so be sure to hold onto your roofing documents so you know when your roof is approaching old age.

By having a contractor check your roof, you'll get an idea of how much life is left in the shingles. Knowing this in advance gives you time to save for a new roof and it also allows you to get the new roof on before the old one fails and leaves you with water damage to repair.

For more information, reach out to a roofing company in your area.