Twice a year is the NRCA recommendation - once in spring after winter stress, once in fall before winter preparation. In practice, most Ohio homeowners aren't doing this - and a spring inspection every other year with a fall gutter cleaning covers the majority of maintenance needs for a roof that's performing normally. After any significant storm event (hail, high winds, major debris), a professional inspection is warranted regardless of what the ground-level visual shows. And if you have an OHM roof, the year-5 inspection is required - not optional - to maintain your workmanship warranty.

Clean your gutters. Twice a year minimum - once in late spring after seed drop, once in late October or early November after leaf drop. Clogged gutters cause more secondary roof damage in Ohio than any other single maintenance failure. Overflow along the fascia rots wood. Backup under shingles in winter creates ice dams. Full gutters in November become ice-bound in December and pull fascia away from the structure under the weight. Thirty minutes with a ladder twice a year addresses the single highest-risk maintenance failure point.

Not advisable for most homeowners, for two reasons. First, safety: roof pitches above 4:12 - which covers most Ohio residential homes - are genuinely hazardous without proper footwear and fall protection experience. Second, damage: in Ohio summers, asphalt shingles are soft enough that foot traffic damages granule adhesion. In fall, frost on shingles creates slip hazard with no visual warning. A ground-level inspection with binoculars, an interior attic check from the hatch, and a professional inspection for anything requiring closer assessment is the right approach.

Yes - in both directions. Proper maintenance keeps warranties intact. Specific maintenance failures void coverage. Pressure washing voids GAF warranty eligibility on a subsequent claim. Unauthorized repairs by another contractor without written OHM approval void workmanship warranty. Alterations to attic ventilation - adding or blocking vents - change the system balance and can void coverage. The 5-year inspection requirement for OHM roofs is a maintenance obligation that must be met within the specified window. If you have an OHM workmanship warranty and aren't sure what its maintenance requirements are, call (937) 418-7976 and we'll walk through it with you.

It depends on quantity. Some granule shedding is normal throughout a shingle roof's lifespan - particularly in the first year after installation as the shingle cures, and gradually thereafter. A small amount of dark sediment in gutters after rain is not alarming. Gutters full of granules, or significantly heavier granule accumulation than in prior years, indicates accelerated aging - often driven by ventilation deficiency or shingles approaching end of functional life. If you're seeing noticeably more granule loss than in prior years, a professional assessment is warranted to evaluate remaining life and whether a repair or replacement timeline is approaching.

Do a ground-level walk-around and check for obvious damage - dented gutters, dented AC condenser fins, and cracked skylights are the easiest post-hail damage indicators visible from the ground. Do not walk the roof. Call Ohio Roof Masters for a documented 21-Point post-storm inspection. If there's legitimate hail damage, we photograph and document every impact point - that documentation supports your insurance claim and protects against an adjuster who hasn't seen the roof in person. If there's no meaningful damage, we tell you that. We don't manufacture damage to generate a claim.