HOME IMPROVEMENT & CAR CARE
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
EAST OREGONIAN/HERMISTON HERALD • 5
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
IN A NEW ROOF
STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST
When roof tiles begin to curl, it is time to consider replacing your roof, or at least replace
worn roof shingles.
StatePoint
B
etween strong winds,
heavy rains, and
threats like fi re and
natural disaster, simply
having a roof over one’s
head is not always enough.
When
choosing
a
strong roof designed to
protect your home and its
occupants, here are some
things to consider:
Fire Prevention
STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST
Fall foliage may look colorful while on the trees, but becomes a seasonal chore when the
leaves fall to the ground.
There are right, and wrong,
ways to dispose of leaves
East Oregonian
It’s easy to pull out a
rake when autumn leaves
begin to fall, but its less
obvious where to put them
once they’ve been collect-
ed.
Pendleton Public Works
Superintendent Jeff Brown
said the city prohibits citi-
zens from sweeping their
foliage into the gutter or
streets because it mucks up
the municipal storm drain-
age system.
While the city prefers
residents throw their leafy
debris into the trash can
rather than burning it, Pend-
letonians aren’t doomed
to a fall full of trash cans
swollen with dead leaves.
As in years past, Brown
said the city is teaming up
with Pendleton Sanitary
Service to offer free leaf
disposal at its 5500 N.W.
Rieth Road facility every
Saturday in November.
Hermiston Parks and
Recreation Director Lar-
ry Fetter also discouraged
Hermiston residents from
throwing their yard waste
into the streets.
“Our street sweeper isn’t
designed to collect all the
leaves that accumulate,” he
said.
Although burning leaves
creates less than ideal air
quality conditions, Fetter
Real wood shake roofs
can be extremely combus-
tible and serve as kindling
for wildfi res. If you live
in an area with even a re-
mote possibility of wild-
fi res, consider investing
in a roof that resists fl ame
spread. While no roof
will resist a “ground up”
fi re that engulfs the entire
home, polymer roofi ng
tiles that are installed with
proper underlayments can
help protect a home from
wind-driven embers that
can ignite the roof.
Impact Resistance
Whether you live in an
area prone to direct or indi-
rect threats of tornadoes or
hurricanes, or you simply
live in a region that expe-
riences strong storms, take
note: fl ying debris associ-
ated with severe weather
can become dangerous in
high winds. Damage from
airborne tree branches and
fl ying loose items can be
devastating to a roof not
equipped for impact. Hav-
ing a synthetic roof that
has achieved the highest
ratings on impact resis-
tance tests can help protect
your property.
“Even if your roof has
stood up to strong weath-
er conditions in the past,
it’s important to make sure
it’s still in shape before the
next round of bad weather
hits,” says Mark Hansen,
vice president of sales and
marketing for DaVinci
Roofscapes, which makes
high-performing
poly-
mer roofi ng products that
have achieved the highest
grades possible on multi-
ple industry tests.
Examine the roof your-
self or have a professional
roofer assess for damage
you may not be able to see
from the ground. They can
make repairs or recommend
a new roof replacement.
Durability
No matter where you
live, it’s important that
roof tiles can handle wear
and tear. Ideally, roof tiles
should resist curling, fad-
ing, cracking, mold, algae,
fungus and insects. Roof-
ing products that come
with a strong warranty can
offer you peace of mind.
Other
Considerations
Protecting your home
and family should be
your number one consid-
eration. Luckily, durable
synthetic roofi ng options
abound that offer the au-
thentic look of real wood
or slate beauty, as well as
environmental sustainabil-
ity. For the benefi ts of an
eco-friendly roof, it’s a
good idea to seek out prod-
ucts that are completely
recyclable and meet stan-
dards set by organizations
like the Cool Roof Rat-
ing Council and the U.S.
Green Building Council.
For a complete free
guide on upgrading roof-
ing to protect a home long-
term, visit ThisOldHouse.
netline.com.
For an important, last-
ing home project, evalu-
ate your roof and consider
making an upgrade that
will protect your house
from everyday wear and
tear, as well as the worst
case scenario.
STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST
Leaves falling from trees can also collect in rain gutters
and cause problems if not cleared out before fall and winter
precepitation arrives.
said people are well within
their rights to burn them af-
ter the end of October.
If residents don’t want
to throw their fallen leaves
in their own trash. Fetter
suggested people take their
green waste to the Stanfi eld
Compost Yard off of Hoo-
sier Road or to the Sanitary
Disposal transfer station at
81144 U.S. Highway 395.
Both options are free of
charge.
People living in rural
Umatilla County outside of
city limits may not have to
worry about cluttering the
gutters, but there are rules
for burning leaves.
Anyone who’s planning
a burn has to buy a $20
burn permit from the Uma-
tilla County Planning De-
partment fi rst.
Before the burn com-
mences, county residents
are advised to call the coun-
ty’s burn line at 541-278-
6397 to make sure burns
are allowed that day.
Burns can only be ignit-
ed between 7:30 a.m. and
two hours after sunset.
Other general require-
ments include having a wa-
ter spray equipment on site
and keeping the 10 feet sur-
rounding a burn barrel clear
of fl ammable material.
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