Late last week Old Man Winter brought his first round of mayhem to Minnesota. Some northern parts of the state got up to four inches of snow, while in southern Minnesota it was nice enough to go fishing. The reprieve after this first bit of winter weather provides us one last chance to check your roof for any harm caused by storms earlier in the summer.
Have you inspected for spring hail damage?
Specifically, there were hail and wind storms in spring which caused widespread destruction throughout the state. Was your property affected? On a shingle roof, losses from wind are usually easy to see: you've got chunks of shingles missing, and maybe even fascia and siding.
Identifying hail damage on shingle roofs
The ravages of hail on a shingle roof is more difficult to find with the untrained eye--or should we say finger. Typically, hail doesn't cause a big, visible spot revealing the fiberglass mat material in the shingle. Rather, it's frequently a dent that is difficult to see with the naked eye, and is detected by feeling the shingle to see if there's a depression, along with granules crushed into the fiberglass mat.
Hail damage on flat roofs is hard to spot
Flat roofs are another story. Hail damage usually won't be obvious, which is why an inspection before winter is such a good idea. Various roofing systems behave differently but they all share common characteristics. In particular, hail impact jeopardizing the roof typically takes months or years to be visually obvious. On flat roofs, hail damage usually shows up as small pools of dirt or mud. These little dents are where water pools up, and evaporates (or freezes). This is where you need to look for problems.
Identify damage and make insurance claims before the window expires
Another reason to look for hail casualties now is that many insurance policies have a one-year limit to make a weather claim. Minnesota gets its storms in May and June, so by the time May or June 2018 rolls around, it may be too late to make a claim and have your roof returned to pre-loss condition.
Schedule spring repairs now
Even if the work can't be scheduled immediately because King Boreas has proclaimed all the land as his winter playground, your roof can be on the schedule for when Vulcanus Rex and his Krew prevail and bring spring to us again (thank you St. Paul Winter Carnival, for letting me borrow your characters.)
Let us inspect your roof before winter starts in earnest
Contact us today! We'll take a thorough look at your roof before Titan brings us more of the blustery North Wind.