When the rain starts falling and the wind whips around your house, your roof is your most important barrier between what’s happening outside and the safe, dry, cozy inside of your home. Unfortunately, the same storm that your roof protects you from can wreak havoc on your home’s exterior. Whether you’ve dealt with a storm-damaged roof before or you just want to know more about keeping your home safe, here are some things that you should know about roof protection and storm damage.
Your Roof Takes a Constant Beating
Your roof takes constant abuse. Even when it’s not storming outside, the UV rays from the sun wear down your roofing materials. When a roof gets damaged by the rays of the sun, it becomes even more susceptible to major damage during storms. The strain that your roof faces every day makes routine roof inspections and maintenance such a vital part of owning your own home.
Understanding Wind Damage
If you think about how wind can damage a roof, you may picture shingles flying through the air or large sheets of metal roofing being peeled away from the top of your house, but wind can actually damage your roof in several other ways.
A roof doesn’t have to get ripped away to be damaged. When shingles start to lift up around the edges, it creates the perfect spot for rain to get between your shingles and your roof’s sublayers. This damage is pretty hard to spot unless you know what you’re looking for, which again makes bringing in a professional to routinely inspect and maintain your roof so important.
Gutters Matter More Than You May Think
Your gutters’ primary responsibility is to collect rainwater and push it away from your home, which is why your downspouts are either angled away from your house or into a drain that goes into the ground. However, they also play a major role in keeping your roof safe and functional. By directing water away from your roof, your gutters help cut down on the likelihood of rainwater getting under the roofing material. They also help when wintertime rolls around, as ice dams that form along the edge of your roof can do a ton of damage to your roof. Keeping twigs, leaves, and other debris out of your gutters helps protect your roof all year round.
Roof care doesn’t only include post-storm repairs. Quite the contrary, actually. Protecting your roof from storm damage is a lifelong process that includes everything from emergency repairs to routine inspections and maintenance. If you live in MD, PA, or WV and need storm damage services, make your first call to BulletpROOF Exteriors.