When spring and summer arrive in the Midwest, business owners often have to schedule roof repairs for wind damage that occurs during storms or windy spring days. Let’s go over how you can recognize and handle wind damage effectively on your flat commercial roof.
How Wind Damage Appears on Flat Roofs
Wind damage often appears on flat roof membranes in the form of frayed and damaged membrane edges. When strong winds hit a flat or low-slope roof, the winds’ uplift pressure becomes greater than the winds’ speed and bears down on the roof membrane’s edges. This pressure lifts the edges up, separating them from the rest of the membrane. If a roofing contractor installed the membrane improperly and it sustains lots of wind damage on its edges, the membrane could eventually fly off the building. Wind damage on a flat commercial roof can also manifest as flying debris if the membrane has any rooftop installations on it, such as an outdoor HVAC unit. These units need proper installation and sealing to prevent them from knocking around and damaging the roof membrane during windy days or severe storms. Overall, wind speeds and uplift pressure combine to create wind damage on commercial flat roofs.
How Does Wind Combine With Hail Damage to Harm Roofs?
High winds often accompany hailstorms, and these two weather phenomena can combine to create more roof damage than they would separately. How does this happen? For TPO and EPDM roofs, the wind lifts roof membranes’ edges up, while hail damage causes cracks throughout these singly-ply membranes. Built-up roof (BUR) systems resist hail and wind more because they consist of multiple layers of gravel, slag, and reinforcement fabric. However, small hailstones and high winds can knock the gravel off the system, leaving the slag and reinforcement fabric exposed to more potential damage. Look for both wind and hail damage after a hailstorm hits your building.
How Do You Handle Wind Damage on Your Flat Roof?
When you notice wind damage to your roof, document the damage with pictures and prepare to make an insurance claim. Your roof’s insurance policy should cover weather-related damage. Contact a roofing contractor such as Kirberg to perform a roof inspection. Your insurance company will also send someone to inspect your roof, but they may rule in your insurer’s favor so they don’t have to cover the damage. Getting an inspection from an independent roofing contractor helps you get your claim approved. How? Your contractor assesses the damage and the wind loads on your flat roof, and they document all the damage. File your claim with a contractor in your corner to ensure your insurance company covers the damage.
How Does Kirberg Repair Wind Damage on Your Roof?
Our team at Kirberg Company starts repairing your roof by performing a roof inspection. We assess the roof for wind, hail, and water damage, and we take pictures of all the damage we find. We fill out all necessary paperwork to help you file an insurance claim. Once your insurance company approves the claim, we begin repairing your roof. We reattach the edges to your single-ply membrane and repair any cracks caused by hail. If you have a BUR system, we repair your system’s layers and replace lost gravel. If your TPO or EPDM roof is extremely compromised by wind and storm damage, we restore your roofing system with a spray-on coating. However, we also perform roof replacements for flat roofs at the end of their lifespans or when they are too extensively damaged for repairs or restoration. When we perform all these services, we use safety practices to complete the job properly. Our comprehensive commercial roofing services repair, restore, or replace your roofing system efficiently and safely.
Repair Your Wind-Damaged Roof With Kirberg Company
If you’ve found wind damage or other weather damage on your flat commercial roof, reach out to Kirberg today. We have the services to repair your roof after a storm or a windy day. When you partner with us, we pay attention to every detail on your damaged roof to ensure the repairs make it as strong as possible.
