Wondering how wind damage to your roof happens?
Wind can cause a lot of problems for your home, including the roof. It can lead to leaks and other issues that could cost you money in repairs. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you need emergency repair work done because of an issue with your roof caused by wind damage.
Read on to learn some important information about wind damage and tips on how you can protect your home from the effects of wind damage to a roof.
What Causes Wind Damage to a Roof?
Several things can cause wind damage to your roof, including intense storms, which can cause wind and hail damage to a roof. Some of the more common reasons that wind damage to your roof occurs are:
Inadequate Roofing Material
If you don’t have enough protection from strong winds, your roof isn’t going to stand a chance against them. This is especially true when it comes to roofs that use asphalt shingles as their material.
For example, a roof made from asphalt shingles stands a higher chance of wind damage if it doesn’t have enough layers—generally, the more layers, the better.
Improper Installation
If your contractor doesn’t correctly install the roofing materials, you need to find another one as soon as possible before it is too late. You want to have complete faith that this person or company knows what they are doing and provide you with quality work.
For example, if the ridge cap isn’t installed correctly, water will seep through and cause damage to your roof.
Weak Roofing Material
In addition to too little or shoddy installation, another common reason for wind damage is when the roofing materials themselves are weak. This can happen when you use inferior materials in your construction process or don’t use a durable enough material like a metal roof.
For example, fiberglass tiles are susceptible to wind damage even when installed properly.
Weak Points In Your Home’s Structure
If there are any weak points in your home’s structure, then the wind can work its way through them and start damaging the roof. One of the leading causes of this is when you have an unfinished attic with many holes that let the wind come into contact with the roof.
For example, the attic is a common source for the wind to get in and do damage. You can avoid these problems by insulating your home’s attic space properly.
An Uneven Roofline
It might seem like something simple, but an uneven roofline can also cause wind damage to your roof. This is because it becomes more likely for one side of the roof to get hit by strong winds, causing it to buckle or peel back.
For example, a roof that has a steep side and a shallow side will be more likely to buckle in strong winds. This is because the wind gets trapped between the two sides and causes a buildup of pressure.
How Does Wind Damage Happen?
Wind damage is usually unexpected. Wind causes damage in two different ways:
Pressure Buildup
When the wind gets underneath your shingles and roof, the pressure forces it upwards. This is especially true for roofs that use shingles as their main surface area. The wind can cause immense stress to build up underneath the shingles.
This starts damaging them before eventually peeling them off altogether.
Direct Contact with Shingles or Roofing Material
As you can imagine, when the wind hits your roof directly, it can cause many problems. This is because the strong winds are enough to push themselves under shingles and peel them back.
It also forces itself against other parts of the roof and causes the entire structure to buckle and bend over time, eventually leading to peeling shingles.
The problems mentioned above aren’t the only issues you can expect with wind damage. The truth is that strong winds often bring storms and rain with them, which means that your roofing materials also have to fight against water damage. If not removed in time, this can lead to leaks and other problems.
This is when it’s best to call a roof repair contractor.
What Can You Do About Wind Damage?
If you have recently noticed wind damage on your roof, then there are several things that you should do to take care of this issue.
The first thing is to see if any shingles have been torn off entirely and replace them as soon as possible. If there are holes from the tearing process, install sealant onto them and make sure that you cover and protect them as much as possible.
In addition to this, you should also check for weak points in your home’s structure, which the wind could exploit and cause further damage. Hire a contractor or two and have them inspect your house to see if you can do anything about any of these problems before they worsen.
Last but not least, you need to make sure that your roofing materials are okay and can stand up to the wind. Check for any problems with the installation process (including anything done wrong) and make sure that you are using durable materials.
This way, even if it gets hit any worse than usual by strong winds, it will be able to stand up and resist the pressure.
Calling Professionals to Help With Wind Damage
Wind damage to a roof can happen at any time and for many different reasons. Thankfully, however, if you know what to look for and the areas that you need to focus on, then it should be possible for you to fix wind damage quickly and effectively.
If strong winds have already damaged your roof, then it is time to call a contractor and get the problem handled as soon as possible. Contact us today for a quote!
