If you live in a windy climate, the condition of your roof may be a concern. Some roofs can withstand winds, but not all materials are that durable.
How Do Strong Winds Damage Roofs?
Heavy winds don’t affect your roof evenly. In fact, most wind damage on your roof will start at the edges because the Wind pressure is much stronger on the perimeter and weaker towards the center.
As wind exerts pressure on your roof, the shingles may start to lift, separate and/or split apart. In some cases, shingles will fly off your roof, leaving your roof exposed to the elements. Missing shingles is a sure sign you are ready for a full roof replacement, and you don’t want to put it off! Even small exterior damages can cause huge problems for the interior of your home.
Wind can also carry debris onto roofs, including dirt, leaves, tree branches, glass, and other items. Any kind of debris can be damaging. Heavy winds can cause tree branches to puncture the roofing material, and dirt and leaves may seem harmless, but if they end up in gutters and downspouts, they can cause clogs. If this happens, water won’t be able to drain properly, and gutters will overflow. Overflowing gutters can then weaken the foundation of your home or get under your roofing materials and cause leaks.
How Can I Check for Damage?
You should watch for several signs of roof damage. Look at the shingles; do they look broken or damaged, and are some missing? Some shingles may be loose or split. Look for curling shingles, mold, decay, loss of granulation, and splitting.
If going to your roof to check for damage is too difficult, it’s a good idea to call a roof inspection company. Mr. Roof professionals can thoroughly check your roof for damage, and it’s completely free. We won’t sell you anything you don’t need, so calling for a free estimate is easy to do and risk-free!
How to Prevent Damage and Maintain Roofing
Roofs are bound to become damaged eventually, but you can maintain your roof and prevent damage for as long as possible.
Schedule times to check your roof regularly. If there is debris on it, clean it as soon as possible to prevent it from falling into gutters and downspouts, clogging them. Make sure the edges of the roof are secure; if they are loose, you should secure them temporarily and call a professional for repairs.
If you live in a northern state your roof must stand up under the weight of snow loads. Winds can push the snow around, leaving an uneven weight distribution. In addition, freezing and thawing cycles can create ice dams, where snow or ice melts underneath the top layers of snow, causing leaks that can damage the interior of your house as well as the roof.
Trim trees near the roof so that falling branches won’t impact it. Trimming them away from the house can prevent scratches and punctures.
Regularly checking the roof and eliminating things that could damage it will help keep your roof safe and prolonge its lifespan. Roofs do wear down over time and repeated strong winds will eventually damage them. The professionals at Mr. Roof will be happy to check for damages and give you a free estimate when it’s time to replace your roof.
