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Despite the fact that your roof is built to last and provide you with the best protection available for decades, it can be damaged by a number of different things. Damage happens in different ways—some obvious and others not so much. In either case, preventing these sources of damage is an uphill battle, and knowing how they happen is the first step to winning the fight.
Here are the top five sources of roof damage that your home could face.
Sunlight & Heat
When you ask the average homeowner what kind of weather does the most damage to their roof, you’ll almost unanimously get responses of “rain.” It’s true that water can be a truly devastating force against your roof, but a roof that’s in good shape is designed to keep water out, and does a remarkably good job of it. What makes it so water can get into your roof, where it cause rotting wood, mold and mildew, and so much more?
The answer: sunlight and heat, two things Arizona is well-known for. As your roof heats up, the materials expand. When it cools off, they shrink and contract. This process repeats over and over again day by day, until eventually the materials themselves dry out, become brittle, and start to crack. When this is the case, you start to get micro-fractures, small gaps, and other flaws that could allow water to get in and start to damage your roof.
This is the reason why it’s so critical to choose a type of roofing material that’s particularly good at withstanding the brutal exposure to sunlight and heat that Arizona brings. As a result, clay tiles and concrete are two of the most popular roofing materials in the region.
Rain
We’ve mentioned rain before, and so it actually does deserve a place on the list. Even the most well-built roof cannot withstand constant exposure to rain and water without water eventually penetrating through and causing damage. When you combine the wear and tear of summer with rain and precipitation, you have a recipe for roof damage that could tear apart even the strongest and most durable roof.
Areas in high elevation, such as Flagstaff, also face an additional risk that those in the Phoenix or Tucson areas may not see as much—the risk of snow and ice. Snow and ice are water which stays on your roof, and while it’s not so much of a threat in solid form, it turns into water when it melts, which means your roof will almost certainly stay wet for quite some time. This is when soaked materials could create a problem when they cause decking and other materials to become wet, resulting in rot and damage.
Faulty Installation
When you hire a roofing contractor, you expect that your roof will be in good condition and free from defects. However, defects can happen and these can leave weak points in your roof where damage can happen. Unfortunately, you more than likely won’t even know there’s a defect in your roof until the next time you see heavy rainfall and water can creep in. This is one of the reasons why it’s extremely important to make sure your new roof is backed up by a warranty—you shouldn’t have to be liable to pay for repairs for a roof that wasn’t even installed properly.
Termites
Termites are pests which can cause extreme damage in such a short amount of time. In fact, a colony of termites can contain more than 5,000 termites, with some large colonies ranging in the tens of thousands! That many bugs in one place can cause significant damage to your home in as little as just a few short months. And because they’re usually found inside your walls, you’ll probably never even know they’re there until you have a termite inspection done.
The same can be said for your roof. You may not realize it, but termites getting into your attic can start to eat away at the wood structure which composes your supports, decking, joists, and other components.
Impact
Lastly, things hitting your roof are a tremendous source of damage. Whether it’s a tree branch falling on your roof, someone walking on the surface, or even a hailstorm, all of these impacts will test the structure and durability of your roof’s surface material, and brittle materials like terra cotta clay could crack or become damaged from it. When your home has been hit with a hailstorm or a large tree branch has landed on your roof, your first step should be to contact a professional Tucson roofer and have your roof professionally inspected as soon as possible.
Contact Lyons Roofing by calling (520) 447-2522 to schedule a roofing inspection today!
