Why You Should Inspect Your Roof After Every Storm

Your roof is your home’s first line of defense against the toughest storms Mother Nature throws your way. It provides a barrier between your home and the elements, whether its rain, hail, or harsh winds.

That’s why ensuring your roof is in top shape with regular checkups is an essential aspect of being a homeowner. To be clear: it’s critical to have an inspection performed by a qualified, professional team immediately after any severe storm.

Why?

Because while you might recognize the tell-tale signs of serious damage to your roof, you might not notice the more subtle indicators of a growing problem. To be truly certain your residential roofing remains in great shape, you have to rely on a trained roofing replacement and repair professional.

How Hail Impacts Your Roof

Ice pellets, known as hailstones, come in a wide range of sizes. Depending on the severity of the storm itself, hailstones can be pea-sized or as large as softballs. Hailstones form during thunderstorms and pose a serious threat to everything in their wake – your property, your person, and even your pets.

Regardless of how large hailstones may be, they can still wreak havoc on your home’s roof. Their constant, direct impact on your roof’s shingles mean that damage can accrue quickly – whether the storm lasts for ten minutes or two hours. Large holes and dented gutters are easy-to-spot signs of damage, but other forms of damage may be easily overlooked. These include:

Granule Loosening

The light coating of granules across every shingle is designed to protect against the harmful UV rays of the sun. They also serve to enhance and maintain your roof’s waterproofing. However, as hailstones damage your shingles, the granule layer can be destroyed and washed away down your gutters.

Surface Bruising

Bruises on your shingles may appear as dents, pits, or dark areas that may be difficult to see in the asphalt material of each shingle. While such damage may seem minor, it’s only a matter of time before they crack and become larger holes which can lead to a leaking roof.

While the untrained eye may see shingles that are still intact, a professional will quickly notice that their waterproof integrity has been compromised.

How Wind Affects Your Roof

High-velocity winds can ruin your roof just as thoroughly as a hailstorm. And we don’t just mean hurricanes and tornadoes – an ordinary storm with strong winds can still cause damage to your shingles that may lead to costly problems down the road.

The most common problems caused by high-velocity winds on roofing include:

Seal Breakages

Roofers adhere shingles to your roof with a specialized sealing strip as well as nails to ensure they’ll be securely held in place for the long-term. However, strong winds can break this seal and weaken the hold your asphalt shingles have on your roof. As dirt and other small particles sneak underneath your shingles over time, their grip on your roof weakens and allows rainwater to wash underneath them, potentially causing leaks.

Fastening Failures

Without that specialized sealing strip, your shingles rely entirely on the strength of fasteners or nails to hold them down. But each time they’re hit by a strong gust of wind, they’ll be pushed upward by its force and eventually broken completely off of your roof.

Asphalt shingles are an extremely affective defense against typical winds and rain, but it only takes a single extreme weather event to undermine their long-term structural integrity. While the average homeowner may see shingles lying flat against the roof and believe they’re still holding strong, a professional roof inspector will recognize the threat of future system failure.

Contact a Trusted Roofing Replacement and Repair Expert

No matter the season, severe weather with hail and strong winds can strike at any time. Unfortunately, modern technology has yet to develop a roof that can withstand the damage Mother Nature can inflict. Just because there’s no visible damage doesn’t mean the damage doesn’t exist – even the smallest bruises and breakages in your shingles can have significant consequences as time goes by.

Just like taking your car to your local auto shop for an oil change or going to the dentist for a teeth cleaning, scheduling regular inspections with a highly-qualified roofing specialist is critical for ensuring your roof’s long-term health. At RX Roof, our team of certified roofing system experts know what it means to keep our customers roofs in top-shape year-round. Our goal for your roof is to:

·       Provide you with a comprehensive evaluation of its health

·       Maintain detailed records of its condition

·       Recognize and troubleshoot issues as soon as they begin

·       Extend expert advice so you can make educated decisions

Ready to get started? Contact the Dallas, Texas roof inspection experts at RX Roof today to schedule your FREE 7-point inspection!