The length of time a roof will last depends on what materials cover the roof. For example, wood shake roofs should last around 30 years. An asphalt roof, on the other hand, will only last for 25 years.
However, to make a roof last for its full lifetime, you need to take proper care of it. One of the maintenance steps you should regularly perform is to check for roof wind damage. This way, you can get minor roof damage repaired before it becomes a bigger problem.
Read on to learn some steps to take while inspecting a roof for wind damage.
Don’t Step on the Roof
Stepping on roofs is extremely dangerous and should only be attempted by professional roofers. They know the proper safety precautions to take. Non-professionals do not know these steps and can easily injure themselves.
It’s also bad to put your full weight on your roof. If your roof already has wind damage, you’ll likely make this damage worse.
Use Binoculars
Are you scared of heights and/or don’t want to risk getting any injury? If so, you can just use a pair of binoculars to check for damages on your roof. Make sure that you look from different angles if you have a sloped roof.
Use a Ladder
Instead, get a ladder and lean it against the side of the house. Climb it until you can see as much of the roof surface as possible. You should be able to assess if you need roofing repair services from there.
Use a Drone
You can also use a drone with a camera to inspect your roof. Fly it up over your roof and lower it close enough to see your asphalt shingles, cedar shakes, etc.
Just make sure that your drone’s batteries are fully charged before you start inspecting your roof. You should also feel fairly confident in your drone piloting skills. If not, the drone may end up causing more damage when it crashes into your roof.
What Roof Wind Damage Looks Like
The exact type of damage that you should look for depends on your type of material. Shakes, tiles, shingles, etc. all react differently to getting hit. In addition, you should also think about other parts of the roof and where parts of the roof can land.
Metal Panels
Metal roofing is very tough. So unless the wind has pulled up the metal panels on your roof (unlikely), you’ll likely only find some minor dents and dings on them. These shouldn’t cause any leaks.
Tiles
Wind debris can crash into tiles and cause them to chip, shatter, and/or fall off. Tiles can also fly off and hit other ones. Broken and missing tiles can let water in, so keep an eye out for these damages on a tile roof.
Wood Shingles or Shakes
Wood shakes or shingles aren’t too fragile, but they can get torn off by very strong winds. If the debris that hits them is heavy enough, they can also split. Make sure to get damaged wood shingles or shakes replaced as soon as possible if you notice these damages.
Asphalt Shingles
Asphalt shingles usually have one or two layers. Wind can blow moisture in between these layers and this moisture can cause damage. So along with looking for loose, cracked, and missing shingles, check for bubbling and blistering along the surface.
Flat Roof Damage
The lack of severe sloping can make it easy to look out over a flat roof for any signs of damage. Check for any cracks in the waterproof flat roofing material. If you have a roof membrane, make sure that it hasn’t lifted off in places.
Don’t Forget the Gutters
The shakes, tiles, shingles, etc. aren’t the only things that can get wind damage. Your roof’s gutters can also get hit. As gutters are important for protecting your roof and house siding, you shouldn’t want them to stay damaged.
Check them while you’re inspecting a roof with your drone or ladder. You should look for severe dents, cracks, and missing pieces. You should also make sure that any debris from the wind hasn’t clogged your gutters.
Look on the Ground
You shouldn’t limit your damage search to the roof alone. Severe storms can sometimes rip roofing materials off the roof so check around your yard for this. If you see a lot of roofing materials on the ground you should contact professional roofers.
Let Professional Roofers Handle the Problem
Did you spot any roof wind damage? If so, you’re probably thinking of googling “how to repair a roof”. You shouldn’t do this.
It’s not a good idea to try to repair a roof yourself. Contact a professional roofing company instead. The expert roofers there can do a lot more for your roof than you can.
Catch Roof Damage You May Have Missed
Expert roofers know how to find minor damage that may not be as noticeable to non-roofers. They also have specialized tools that can help them spot this damage. Thus, if you hire roofers to inspect your roof, they’ll likely be more thorough than you can be.
Won’t Make Mistakes That You Might
All the “how to repair a roof” video tutorials in the world can’t replace the amount of practice professional roofers have. There are still many mistakes that you can make. It’s best to leave the repair work up to the experts.
Let Us Handle Your Roofing Repair Needs
In sum, there’s a lot you can do to inspect for roof wind damage. However, there’s only so much that you can do in comparison to what a roofing professional can do.
Do you need roofing repair in the Delafield area? If so, consider using our services. Our awards, certifications, and 5-year warranties prove that we offer work that’s worth trusting.
Get a free estimate about your roofing needs by filling out the information we need on this page.
