Up on the Rooftop
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Up on the Rooftop

The next time you walk outside, take a moment to gaze up at your roof. What do you see? Do you see even shingles that are all laying flat? Or do you see shingles that are starting to curl and that are covered in moss? You can tell a lot about the condition of your roof just by looking at it. If you are at all concerned about the state of your roof, then your first call should be to a roofing contractor. They can evaluate the situation and recommend repairs or replacement as needed. Learn more about roofing and roofing contractors here on this website.

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Up on the Rooftop

Damages Your Kids Might Cause Your Roof By Throwing A Ball Against It And Repairs That Help

Lori Silva

You might take care to trim trees away from your roof and shoo wildlife away, but you might never guess your kids are the ones who innocently put your roof in danger. The roof seems like a fun surface to throw a ball against so it can be caught when it rolls off the roof. Over time, this can lead to roof damage. Even a single strike of a hard ball, such as a baseball, could damage a shingle or two.

If you find out your kids have been playing ball with your roof, it's a good idea to call a residential roofing contractor and have the shingles checked. Here are some types of damage they may find and the repairs that might be needed.

Bruised Shingles From Impacts

When a baseball hits the shingles, the damages are similar to hail strikes. The affected shingles might be bruised, dented, or cracked. When it hails, your entire roof is damaged. Fortunately, with a baseball strike, the damage should be limited to just one or two shingles unless the ball has hit the roof multiple times.

This type of damage is easy to repair by simply replacing the damaged shingles. You may only need a single shingle replaced to eliminate the risk of a roof leak.

Missing Granules Due To Balls Rolling On The Roof

Granules can get scraped off the shingles when something rolls along the roof. The abrasion lifts granules and then the granules roll to the gutter trough. Granules are an important part of the shingles because they block UV rays and help your roof have a longer life. With the granules missing, the shingles could age faster and start leaking.

This problem might be fixed by replacing the bald shingles. However, the roofing contractor might just replace the granules. Sometimes it's possible to fish granules out of the gutter trough and put them back on the shingles with adhesive if only a few are missing. Granules can also be purchased and applied to the roof if necessary, but it may be easier to just replace the shingles.

Damaged Flashing From Bouncing Balls

A ball that bounces off flashing might cause damage. The flashing might be knocked loose, dented, or otherwise damaged so the risk of a leak increases. When a roofing contractor checks your roof, they check the shingles and flashing both.

Flashing can be tightened back down if it was knocked loose. The roofer also has to consider if the damage might escalate rust, and if so, the damaged area might need to be treated with a rust inhibitor. If the damage is severe, the flashing might need to be replaced.

For more information on roof repair tips, talk to a local residential roofing contractor today.


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