How to Tell if Your Roof Has Been Damaged From High Winds
If you live in an area where it storms a lot, your roof could take a hit. This is how you can tell if your roof is damaged by high winds.
Have you thought about how important the roof over your head is? Maybe you haven’t yet, but you should. The roof guarantees the safety and security of your family and property while enriching your home’s curb appeal. Depending on wind speed, there’s always the potential of needing repairs if not a complete roof replacement.
Strong storms and hail are likely to be a thorn in the flesh regardless of where you live. While the roof is designed to resist typical wind loads, it can be progressively damaged over time by high winds and the debris carried. If the roof can’t withstand the harsh elements, your family and property are at immense risk.
While repairing any roof damage in time is invaluable, spotting roof damage is not a piece of cake. Most people only get to know about it after water damage, high fuel costs, or drooping roof.
After high winds or hail, it’s important to check your roof for loose shingles, missing asphalt, bang-ups, granule loss, or other damage. But the question is, how do you check for high wind roof damage? Read more to learn how to check for wind damage on your roof and act promptly.
Perform an Outdoor Inspection of Roof
One of the easiest and most basic ways to identify roof damage after the high wind is by performing an external check. It would be best to look for missing or cracked, curled, broken, or torn shingles and rusted gutter. Also, walk around your backyard after the high wind to check for any shingles or parts.
However, for a closer inspection, you may need to climb onto the roof. Depending on your home’s design, this could be a perilous step. If you don’t have the necessary safety equipment and tool, find a roofing professional to handle the roof inspection.
You don’t want to spare a few dollars only to suffer severe and permanent injuries. Call a professional who knows how to do it and what to look for.
If you are inspecting the roof, check on your roof’s edges. Due to the wind’s suction effect, damage starts from the edges. This means the shingles around the edges are likely to go first.
While you may identify only one or two missing shingles, don’t ignore them. Shingles are designed to overlap and reinforce to be functional. This implies a missing part could weaken the near shingles compromising the entire roofing system.
Indoor Check
After completing the outdoor inspection, it’s important to check inside your house for any signs. Check ceiling and walls for dripping, wetness, and discoloration. Grey, brown, and yellow stains or peeling paint could indicate small leaks which could be otherwise hard to spot.
Also, climb into your attic and inspect for any damp lumber or leaks. Also, a sudden increase in your energy costs could imply the roof insulation has been damaged, and a deeper inspection is necessary.
Note that interior roof damages are worse and more costly when compared to exterior damages. Also, they require immediate action as they are an impending disaster if the entire roof is compromised.
In case you find stains on your ceiling or wall only, don’t ignore them. Contact a trusted residential roof contractor for a thorough inspection.
Damaged Fascia and Soffit on Roof
Are you wondering what fascia and soffit are? Soffit is the small overhangs connecting the bottom of your roof to the wall. On the other hand, fascia is the long rafter pieces attached along the edges and under the roof.
Like shingles, soffit and fascia make roof impenetrable, thus protecting against any water leak. When damaged, these parts will make your home susceptible to water damages. When inspecting fascia, check for bent, loose, or cracked areas and the connecting structures too.
Check on Your Chimney Condition
Does your chimney look warped? This might be a sign of an underlying problem such as high wind damage. When carrying out your inspection, don’t forget to check on any missing lashing spots on the chimney.
A loose, leaning, or missing flashing can compromise the chimney and let in water. Again, if you can’t inspect the issue thoroughly, seek professional help.
Check for Debris on Roof
If there is trash, tree branches, and other stuff in your yard after a strong wind, then you might want to have a roof inspection. Your roof is unlikely to be spared if a tree branch falls on it. While there may not be any noticeable signs, roof damage may have resulted from the impact.
Grab a ladder and get up there to check for any sign of high winds damage.
Roof Shingle Flapping in High Winds
When the wind is blowing, you may need to look up at your roof. Depending on your roofing material, the roof may flap when the wind is blowing. This indicates damage, and prompt roof repair is necessary to avoid blown-off parts or entire roofs.
Also, if the roof is not intact, you may hear some weird noises during high winds.
Missing Granules on Rooftop
Like hail storms, high winds can cause the loss of granules. If your suspect loss of granules, start by inspecting your gutters where the granules will accumulate after coming off.
Also, don’t leave the gutters without checking for rusty, leakey, or loosely attached structures. Sagging, bent, or missing gutter sections could also tip about roof damage. If the gutters are clogged, unblock them to avoid causing immoderate weight on gutter fasteners leading to collapse.
Hire a Roofing Contractor Today
If you have identified any roof damage due to high winds, consider fixing it as soon as possible. Waiting longer before contacting the right roofing service increase the damage and repair costs
Above are some of the signs that can indicate high winds damage your roof.
Are you looking for quality roofing materials at great prices in Texas? At Best Roofing Estimates, we got you covered. We connect homeowners with the best roofing companies, financing options and get them reliable information about the best deal for roofing projects.
Contact us today to get free quotes.
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