Roof Inspection
How to Inspect a Roof for Wind and Hail Damage?
At Don Sing Roofing in Lebanon, Missouri we get thousands of calls due to concern of wind and hail damage. Wind and hail can inflict serious damage to your roof. The roof is the first line of defense for a house and if there is damage to the roof, it can eventually lead to leakage, which can result in serious damage to property and goods. Damage to a roof may or may not be easily visible after a storm, hence it is vital to inspect the roof in a proper manner to identify even minor damages, which can lead to major problems later.
If your roof is made of Asphalt shingles, it is composed of the following components:
– Asphalt Mat
– Fiberglass Mat
– Granules
Asphalt mat forms the most significant part of the shingle. The fiberglass mat provides durability to the shingle. Granules add to the look or aesthetics of the roof and it also acts as a protective shield for the mat. If the granules or mat are damaged, then the contraction and expansion of shingles can lead to eventual leakages.
How does wind damage the roof and where to look for the damages when inspecting?
Wind damage generally starts from the perimeter of the roof. The effect of wind blowing over the roof is not uniform across the roof. The pressure exerted is more around the corners. High speed winds can move the roofing material, like membrane or shingles. Wherever the material is a bit loose, the wind can raise it up. Once it is raised up, wind has more potential to raise it further by getting underneath the raised area and this will accelerate the damage. Also, strong winds can carry along tree branches, glass shards, etc which can cause damage to the roof on impact. It is important to inspect and figure out these damages at early stages to prevent further damage to the roof and also to prevent possibility of leakage.
The wind damages mostly start at the edges or parameter of the roof. One should start to search for any signs of damage here. Also, check for wind-blown debris that tends to clog the drain and downspout and can turn into potential problems in the future.
How does Hail damage a roof?
At Don Sing Roofing in Lebanon, Missouri, we are asked this question frequently. Hail storm can cause major havoc, especially if the size of the hail is large. If the hail size is less than 1 inch, the damage could be very minute and not easy to detect. One may require a trained roofing inspector, such as Don Sing Roofing, in such cases to identify damages. In case of hail size between 1-inch and 2-inch, hail damage can be spotted easily on the shingles and soft metal on the roof. If the hail size is greater than 2-inches, it is almost certain that the asphalt roof would have suffered some sort of damage.
Generally a hail storm can cause three major types of damages to the asphalt shingles on the roof:
– Missing granules: Missing granules from the asphalt shingles can expose the inner mat. Fresh damages can be identified with the freshness of the exposed part. An old damage can be differentiated as the sun exposure would change the appearance of the exposed mat.
– Bruised shingles: Impact of hails can leave asphalt shingles bruised. You can run your hand over each shingle to identify any indentation on it. The indentations could be because of the hail hits. On pressing against these indentations, one could get soft spongy feel which suggests that the shingles are bruised. This bruising can cause the shingles to fail after some time.
– Circular cracks or mini craters: In case of large hail storms, the shingles may develop circular cracks or mini craters. These cracks suggest that the shingles have been damaged right up to the fiberglass and there is high likelihood of leakage through these shingles.
Where to look for hail damage on the roof?
When searching for hail damage on an asphalt roof, one should search for following suspect areas:
Soft Metal: You should first explore the soft metal on the roof. Roof vents, metal valleys, skylights and flashing are generally made of soft metal and hail storm damage on these can be easily identified. The dents on the soft metal will also give a sense about the size of the hail.
Ridges: The peak of a ridge or ridge cap is in direct line of fire of hail as opposed to the roof slope. Also, no matter what the direction of the hail storm, the ridge is exposed due to its location. One should explore these for possible damages.
Shingles: Shingles should be explored carefully. The shingles should be checked not only at the center, but also at the joints. Damaged shingles can lead to a problem of leakage of water.
Vinyl Materials: Vinyl material like doors, windows and siding are also vulnerable to hail damage and one should inspect them for possible damages.
If you are looking to inspect the roof for possible damages, keep in mind that not all damages may be directly visible and one may need to put in a lot of effort and time to carefully inspect the suspect areas. If you are still finding it difficult to figure out wind or hail damages, it is better to contact a trained roofing inspector and you should get in touch with your insurance company and get the roof repaired as soon as possible. At Don Sing Roofing in Lebanon, Missouri, we can inspect your roof, deal with your insurance company directly, make roofing repairs or replace your roof completely as needed.