Simple Guide to Identifying Hail Damage on Commercial Roofing
Living in Oklahoma City, you are probably already familiar with the kind of damage hail storms can do to residential and commercial roofing. Even a minor hailstorm can be responsible for compromising the integrity of your roofing system.
Inspect Your Commercial Roof
After a hail storm, wait until the weather has stabilized enough to examine your roof for signs of hail damage. The most common forms of damage include cracks, indentations, and punctures in the membrane. While the damage may be common, do not mistake it for harmless. Make sure to address those issues at the earliest.
At the same time, you should keep in mind that not all hail damages are so apparent and readily visible. These less-than-obvious damages will leave your roof prone to leakage and succumbing to impact.
Hail can also weaken the roofing membrane enough that it’s life expectancy decreases by a considerable amount. Sometimes, the insulating can take a hit from hail as well.
Prevent Long-Term Damage
Most commercial roofing in OKC have a layer of adhesive, keeping the membrane and insulation together. Exposure to hail can cause this adhesive bond to weaken and, over time, completely dissociate. What started as simple hail damage can end up as permanent detachment of the roofing membrane, warranting immediate action.
A&S Commercial Roofing and Contracting can make sure that your roofing woes stemming from hail damage are taken care of in the best possible way. Call us to inspect your roof for you, our highly experienced crew can sniff out even the most inconspicuous damage. Once we have identified all the repairs your roof needs, we can work out an appropriate, economical solution together.
Signs of Hail Damage in Commercial Roofing
Dents and divots following a hail storm are clear signs of damage. A roofing contractor with extensive expertise will be able to tell the difference between dents that were previously and those newly formed. Either way, indents in the shingles are a matter of urgent concern.
Sometimes hail ends up scuffing the surface rather than outright cracking it apart. The scuffs can be identified by seeking out clean spots in the membrane. In granular shingles, scuffing causes granular loss. The granules knocked lose then show up in the gutters and downspouts.
If the hail seems to have done no apparent damage to your roof, make sure to inspect the HVAC unit, gutters, flashings, and vents. You can also use a magnifying glass to discover small chips and fractures.
When Is Roof Replacement Essential?
It is difficult to say what might be your roof's breaking point since every roof reacts differently to hail damage. It depends on the age of the roof, condition, and comprising materials. In fact, if a roof is old and raggedy enough, a single hail storm may be bad enough to need a complete reroofing.
When the constant roof repairs become more expensive than getting a whole new roof, it is an indication that a roof replacement is due. So, what’s next? Call us!