With hurricane season upon us, it’s important to recognize hurricane roof damage that may require immediate attention. Here at Trillas Consulting Engineers, LLC., our experts want you to be as prepared and knowledgeable as possible since not all damages are visible to the untrained eye. There are signs you can look for to tell if your tile roof has suffered hurricane damage and needs repair. Even though your roof is specifically designed to sustain torrential rain and high-speed wind, damaged tiles could compromise its water shedding ability causing the waterproofing membrane to deteriorate exponentially, which would lead to failure of the building envelope system and moisture intrusion. By being able to identify roof damage, you will know when a roof inspection is needed. Below are some things you should look out for.
Lost Tiles
One of the most detectible signs of hurricane roof damage are lost tiles. Strong winds can cause tiles to fall off leaving the waterproofing membrane susceptible to the elements, foliage and debris which may tear and/or puncture the system and lead to severe moisture intrusion. Furthermore, a tile which has been dislodged from the roof due to high winds will cause impact damages to other tiles which are down wind as it is blown off the roof. You’ll want to check for this, otherwise the exposed waterproofing membrane will exponentially deteriorate and fail causing water leaks in your home, leading to more serious problems.
Chattering (Tile Uplift)
Not as obvious as lost tiles, roof tiles can also be lifted by strong winds. As winds interact with your home, they cause a significant amount of turbulent suction forces on the surface of the roof causing chattering (violent vibrations) of the tile system. The violent lifting and lowering of the tile systems causes fatigue failure of the tile attachment leading to pull out of the roofing mechanical anchor system and/or detachment of the adhesive anchoring system. Below are some examples of tile damage caused by fatigue failures:
Tiles which experience these forms of damage are more than likely to be blown off should they experience another strong wind event again, exposing the waterproofing membrane to the elements. A trained professional should check for these types of damages since all tiles will need to be properly evaluated to determine the proper method of repair and/or replacement. So, if you feel this may have happened, be sure to call an inspector.
Impact Damages
Flying debris and/or hail can cause chips and shattering of the roof tiles which will expose the underlayment to the elements. If your roof has evidence of impact damage, the integrity of the building envelope has been compromised leaving the structural elements and interior finishes susceptible to severe moisture intrusion if it is not properly repaired. Have someone immediately inspect your roof should you suspect this has happened.
After a hurricane, never leave your roof damaged. Check your property for roofing debris and your roof for broken and missing tiles. You don’t want to compromise the integrity of your building. Remember, a damaged roofing system significantly degrades the integrity of the building envelope and leads to the loss of building energy efficiency, water/moisture intrusion, introduction of micro-organisms, and latent damage that can erode the structural framing of the building at an exponential rate eventually leading to structural damage.
Contact our professionals for an assessment.