It is not unusual to find some animals wanting to become a part of your family during the winter. Starting with birds and larger critters like squirrels and raccoons, to the smallest of bugs, they all are eager to live in the attic or crawlspace of your house. The best attainable way to stop these critters from invading your home is to make sure that your roof vents have guards protecting them. According to professional Farmington roofing contractors, roofing vent guards are designed specifically to prevent these unwanted guests from overrunning your home.
Today, there are a wide number of roof vent guards available and you may select any that you may find fitting for your home. But before you begin the procedure of putting in the roof vent guards, you must first check that there are no critters already caught inside the attic. Another precautionary measure that you can take is to keep any trees on your property that are near these vents (and your entire roof) trimmed properly. Each spring, you should trim the branches and limbs of the trees away from your roof. Numerous insects and critters try to enter a home with the aid of reaching branches.
There is a large variety available of roof vent guards at your local hardware or roofing supply store as well as online stores that you can select and buy the kind that you think is proper for your home. You should not hurry through the purchase, rather, you should choose very carefully after much consideration. It seems like no big deal to purchase one but there are some factors that you must be aware of when you are measuring your options.
If you purchase a roof guard which is plastic or aluminum, they are not as practical for keeping out specific kinds of pests. Raccoons have little issues opening them and squirrels lie to chew them. They can quickly chew their way inside, leaving your vent guard choice ineffective. The best choice is to get a guard that is made out of metal, preferably steel. It resembles a small steel cage. You can fasten the guard over the roof vent and it keeps the animals away quite efficiently.
Many people try to save a little money and install screen wire over the guard as they think that the pests will not be able to penetrate the mesh. However, they are sadly mistaken. Oftentimes, squirrels can compress past it because of the way the mesh screening is made, leaving the entire establishment ineffective. It may help slightly at first, but many small critters will promptly learn how to defeat this obstacle. Soon you will again be looking for a different type of replacement roof vent guard to keep your home protected.
At the end of the day, it only makes sense to install the right type of roofing vent guard in the first place. A high-quality guard will last a very long time if not forever as long as they are installed and maintained properly. If this is way over your head and you want some professional help, reach out to a local Farmington roofer for advice. We offer free inspections and estimates, and we are a GAF Master Elite Certified Roofing Contractor.