Weather Damaged Roofs Can Lead To Damaged Homes And Costly Cleanup
The wild temperature swings and heavy precipitation can pound Hannibal in winter and can cause a variety of issues with a home. A roof in poor condition can allow moisture that damages building materials critical to a well sealed home.
Hannibal averages 12 inches of snow per year. Even the few inches of rain we get in the winter can add up. Sleet may not be as damaging as hail or snow, but it can also cause unique issues on your home. If your roof fails, you may need some help for water damage cleanup.
Water Damage Cleanup In Hannibal
Snow And Ice Dams
When outside air temperatures are in the 20s for several days with several inches of snow on the roof, we are a risk for water damage and repairs from an ice dam. Since the temperature in your attic is above freezing, snow on the roof will likely melt. When the liquid then runs down the roof and hits the colder eaves, it refreezes.
If this cycle repeats over several days, the freezing snowmelt builds up and forms a dam of ice, behind which water pools up into large puddles. This build up becomes an “ice dam” which can grow to damage the shingles.
Rain Driven Wind
Sometimes, the combo of water and wind is enough to damage an already weakened roof. When roof shingles age, they become brittle and begin to loosen. This can allow moisture from sleet to get underneath them:
- Water can leak into your attic
- It can further loosen the shingles and cause them to fall off
- Extended moisture can rot soffits and other wooden materials
If too much water is allowed to accumulate, this can place undue stress on your roof. To prevent this, make sure that you have your roof inspected and replaced (if it needs it) before winter.
Hail
Reaching speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, large pieces of hail can break through window glass. But actually, damage to the roof and siding are more common than broken windows; they are more exposed to the wind.
After a storm, perform a simple inspection to ensure that no damage occurred. Start by walking around your house and looking up at the roof. Pay special attention to your shingles around the areas where the roof meets the sides of your home. These areas are often the most heavily damaged by hail.
Sleet
Typically, sleet forms when the cloud temperature is warm enough to produce rain, but the air temperature is cold enough to freeze it, slightly, as it falls. In this way, sleet is similar to hail but isn’t as solid. Thankfully, sleet typically doesn’t stay solid for long and often melts to form water more quickly than hail.
But since it is heavy, its weight can affect the structural integrity of your home.
- Damage to shingles
- Issues with interior roofing
- Window Problems – Sleet may cause cracks and other types of damage around your windows, which can let in high levels of precipitation that may damage your home even further
- Damage to your gutters, spouts, and other roofing areas
Contact The Water Damage Cleanup Experts
If your roof suffers water damage, call the best water damage cleanup team in the area. The certified water damage cleanup professionals at Clean Restoration & Emergency Services are ready to guide you through the clean up and drying process after a significant water loss. Within an hour, our water damage cleanup team will be on site to evaluate the damage and to begin the extraction process.
