While wind helps pollinate flowers and offers you a cool breeze on a hot day, it is not always good for your roofing system and can do more harm than good sometimes on your roof. Even before the wind reaches hurricane or tornado speeds, it can do a number on your roof. Here are some signs that you may have wind damage:
1. Shingle Damage
Shingle damage is not always visible to the untrained eye. Shingles can be peeled, missing or visibly damaged if you have sustained wind damage.
2. Granule Loss
Unfortunately, the granules on your shingles will wear out and becoming thin on the shingles over the course of time. The real warning signs of excessive granule loss is when there are horizontal lines visible on your roof. These can also appear as bare spots or even cracks. When these lines appear, you should be aware that the seal on your shingle is now broken. The granules rub off when the shingle flaps in the wind or crashes into other shingles on the roof. Somestimes this damage is not always catastrophic, and it can in some cases be repaired without having to replace the entire roof.
3. Water Leaks
If your shingles are compromised, rain can get past them, and you will end up with water damage inside your home. These problems typically start small and grow larger over time. If you smell mold that you are unable to see chances are there is moisture in your walls. Moisture in your walls is not always from a roof leak but it is a good place to start your investigation. You always want to assess water leaks ASAP and get to the route cause and get it rectified before it leads to larger more costly repairs and issues.
4. Debris
While this does not always involve the roof, if you find that there are a bunch of tree branches, trash and other things in and around your yard you will know that there was in fact some wind to worry about. Take a look at the debris on the ground to ensure that it is not shingle particles or roof flashing pieces. Even if you do not find those things on the ground it is always a good idea to grab a ladder and check your roof out or call your roofing contractor to come out and inspect for any potential issues or damages.
5. Flapping Shingles
We do not always look up at our roof a lot and weather happens all the time with plenty of wind throughout the course of a year. Once in a while you should look up at your roof and ensure that there are not visibly loose and flapping shingles on the roof. If you do see flapping shingles, please note that they are NOT supposed to do that, and you should contact your roofing contractor to come out assess and repair the issue before it becomes more serious or costly.
6. Divots
This is a more common issue when your roof has sustained hail damage BUT please note that it is not impossible with wind damage. These divots typically form at the edge your shingles. These divots come from broken seals which is no good for your roof because once your shingles lose their seal that opens your roof up to potentially causing more serious issues.
If you notice any of the issues above, your best bet is to call your insurance company and see if you are able to initiate a claim for the damages. They will send an adjuster out to inspect your roof and determine the damages and also advise what your insurance may be willing to pay toward the repair or replacement.
When you find damage, it is never fun and typically does not come at a real convenient time, but rest assured that you can call Middle Creek Roofing at 1-717-949-2414 and we would be happy to come out and provide you with an estimate to get your roofing system back in tip top shape!
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