Hail Damage Can Be Devastating to a Business

12/18/2019 (Permalink)

Hail damage on the roof in Indian Hill, OH

Hail Damage Can Be Devastating to a Business

The purpose of your business’ roof is to protect the building interior from wind, rain and a limited amount of snow. In places like Indian Hill, OH, building codes typically call for a design that withstands weather conditions greater than your location would typically experience. However, when the weather creates large hail, roof damage often follows.

Roof-Mounted Equipment Is Especially Vulnerable to Hail

One feature that makes a business roof different from a residential roof is the presence of roof-mounted equipment. This can include:

• HVAC equipment
  
• Skylights
  
• Solar panels
  
• Elevator equipment
  
  

For equipment that uses transparent or translucent components, those components should be impact-resistant. Special hail screening can protect the remainder of your rooftop equipment from hail damage.

Hail Impact Can Damage the Roof Surface

When large hailstones strike your roof at over 100 miles per hour, roof damage is almost inevitable. On a flat roof, it can tear the coating and underlying material. If the roof has weak spots, the hail may penetrate the interior.
A pitched roof covered with shingles fares slightly better. The angle of the pitch helps reduce the impact of the hailstone and divert it away from the building. However, shingles can become brittle with time and break under the hail’s impact.

It’s Time to Worry About the Next Storm

It’s not a good idea to leave the building during a hailstorm. Checking for outdoor damage should wait until it’s safe to do so. In the meanwhile, you can deal with the leaks and other water problems that you can see indoors. When the sky clears, it’s time to head outdoors. Assume that any damage you see there will, in some way, manifest itself indoors. You can expect leaks, wet insulation and water-stained ceilings to continue to get worse until the repairs are complete. Subsequent storms will see to that.

A Speedy Response Keeps Your Problems Small

The problems associated with roof damage become worse with time. Local storm damage recovery experts are just a phone call away. With them on the job, your structure condition will be “Like it never even happened.”