Archive for the ‘Hail Damage’ Category
Hail Damage Myths
Hail Damage Myths
There are many myths and misunderstandings regarding hail damage to an asphalt shingle roof. Probably the number one misconception is that if your roof is not leaking, you don’t have hail damage. This misconception is compounded by the belief that hail damage to the roof should be visible from the ground. Homeowners who don’t see any obvious damage to the roof or any signs of roof leaks assume that their roof was not damaged by a hail storm. These homeowners misunderstand the nature of hail damage to an asphalt shingle roof and are putting their homes at risk.
Hail damage doesn’t usually cause roof leaks to form immediately. In some cases of very large hail or a fragile roof, the hail damage will be severe enough that the roof will start leaking right away, but in most cases the hail damage comes from dislodging the protective ceramic granules from the shingles. These granules protect the shingle from exposure to harmful U.V. rays.
Without this protection, the shingle will soon dry out and fail, often in a matter of weeks or months. Until it does, the roof may not leak which gives the homeowner the false impression that the roof was not damaged by hail.
This type of common hail damage is hard to see from the ground. In fact, it’s even hard to see standing on the roof. An experienced roof inspector can spot hail damage that a homeowner might overlook. If your home is in an area that has been hit by a hailstorm, your best move is to have the roof inspected by a reputable local roofing contractor. Most good roofing contractors offer free roof inspections and will be able to tell if your roof has suffered hail damage.
Cool Roofing
Cool Roofing
If you need a new roof due to hail damage, wind damage or your roof is showing signs of age, consider the advantages of installing a “cool roof.” Cool is not usually the first word that springs to mind when talking about your roof, but there are roofing materials available today that can keep the temperature on your roof lower.
Lowering the temperature of your roof is important because it can help reduce your energy consumption for air conditioning. Lower energy consumption equals lower electric bills and also less fossil fuels burned at the power generating plant which means less greenhouse gasses. In addition, heat is one of the enemies of asphalt shingle roofing. Lower roof temperatures will extend the life of an asphalt shingle roof.
Your roof gets hot when exposed to the sun because roofing materials absorb energy from the sun. On a 90 degree day, temperatures on an asphalt shingle roof can rise to over 150 degrees. Using lighter colored roofing materials can help because light colors don’t absorb as much of the sun’s energy.
Most metal roofing does a much better job of reflecting the sun’s rays than standard asphalt shingles and some metal roofing has additional coatings to increase its solar reflectivity even further. If you are installing an asphalt shingle roof, using lighter colored shingles will help, but for a really cool roof try using shingle specifically made to increase their solar reflectance. These shingles have highly reflective granules that can significantly increase the reflectance of even darker colored shingles.
Ask your local roofing contractor for more information about saving energy with cool roofing materials.
What To Do When Hail Strikes
What To Do When Hail Strikes
In most areas of the country, there is at least the possibility that your home will be hit by hail. In many areas, it’s not really a question of if it will hail, but when it will hail and how bad will the damage will be. If it starts hailing in your area, your first concern should be to protect yourself and your family. Hail can cause a serious injury so when hail starts falling, take cover. Stay indoors, in your car or under something that will protect you from the hail.
Once the storm has passes, check for damage. Hail larger than 3/4” can cause damage to an asphalt shingle roof. If you see damage to plants, vehicles, grills and porch furniture, there is a good chance that your roof has been damaged. If you see severe roof damage like split or broken shingles or holes in the roof, you need to protect the roof with tarps to keep water from entering your home and causing further damage.
If you suspect hail damage to your roof, have the roof inspected by a reputable local roofing contractor. Roof hail damage inspections are usually free of charge and it really pays to have an expert roofer check out your roof. In many cases, hail damage can be hard to spot unless you know what to look for.
If the roof is damaged, it’s time to call your homeowner’s insurance carrier. They will send out an adjuster to verify the damage. Often, your roofing contractor will work with the adjuster to get your damaged roof repaired or replaced. In most cases, you will only end up paying the amount of your deductible.
Roofing Liens
Roofing Liens
Imagine the following scenario:
A hailstorm sweeps through your neighborhood and severely damages your roof. You file an insurance claim on your homeowner’s insurance and after it is approved, you hire a roofing contractor to replace the hail damaged roof. After the work is completed, you pay the roofer and start enjoying your new roof.
About a month later, you get a notice in the mail that a local materials supplier is going to place a lien on your home for the cost of the materials the roofer used to replace the roof on your home. You call the supplier and find out that your roofer still owes thousands of dollars for the shingles and other roofing materials used on your home.
You assume there is some mix up, but when you try to contact the roofer, their telephone number has been disconnected and they have no local office. It seems they left town not long after installing your roof.
This may sound like a nightmare, but it happens every day. The law allows contractors and suppliers to place a lien on your property for work performed or for materials used if the bill is not paid. This is true even if you have paid the bill to the contractor in full, but the contractor skips town before paying the supplier.
This scam is all too common in the roofing industry. Shady out of town roofers will leave town after the work dries up without paying all of the materials bills at the local materials supplier and the homeowner is left holding the bag.
Protect yourself by only dealing with a reputable local roofing contractor. If there is a problem down the road, you will be able to find the roofing contractor to sort it out.
Jasper Contractors has offices in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, New Orleans, Phoenix and Salt Lake City.
Primary Causes of Roof Damage
Primary Causes of Roof Damage
Your roof is a very important part of your home. It protects your home from the elements and also protects everything in your home, including you and your family. Regular roof inspections and completing any necessary repairs promptly are an excellent way to keep your roof in top condition.
Most roof damage is related to lack of maintenance, poor installation or severe weather damage. Regular roof inspections combined with supplemental inspections following any severe weather will catch small problems before they have a chance to become big problems. Missing, cracked and damaged shingles can be replaced and water leaks can be repaired before they have a chance to cause further damage.
Poor installation can be the cause of many roofing problems. Modern composition asphalt shingles are a very good, cost effective roofing alternative, but they must be installed properly by an experienced, reputable roofing contractor or your roof could fail. It is worth the effort to find a good roofing contractor to install your asphalt shingle roof.
Severe weather is a very common cause of roof damage. Hail and high winds can seriously damage an asphalt shingle roof, especially if the roof has already been weakened by years of exposure to the elements.
You should always have your roof inspected by an experienced roofing contractor after any hail storm or high winds. In some cases, storm damage will be obvious because you will be able to see that your roof is missing some shingles. However, in many cases, a trained roof inspector will be able to indentify hail or wind damage that most homeowners would not recognize.
Most good reputable roofing contractors offer free roof inspections as a service to the community. Keep your roof in good shape with regular roof inspections.
Jasper Contractors has offices in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, New Orleans, Phoenix and Salt Lake City.
Jasper Contractors One of the Top 10 Residential Roofers
Jasper Contractors One of the Top 10 Residential Roofers
Roofing Magazine has ranked Jasper Contractors as the 29th largest roofing contractors in the country based on revenue. Roofing Magazine’s rankings appeared in July 2011 and included both residential and commercial roofing contractors. Jasper ranks in the top 10 among roofing contractors who focus primarily on residential roofing.
Jasper’s top nationwide ranking is confirmation that providing top quality roof replacement and great customer service at competitive prices has rapidly propelled Jasper to its position as a national leader in residential re-roofing, especially when it comes to hail damage roof replacement.
Jasper Contractors started in 2004 and originally focused on new construction, but quickly saw a need for top quality hail damage roof replacements. Jasper has been rapidly expanding each year and now has permanent offices in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Phoenix, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Atlanta and Denver. Jasper anticipates moving into the top ten commercial and residential roofing contractors next year while working toward their goal of installing 100 million square feet of roofing per year by 2015.
What does all this mean for homeowners who need their roof replaced due to hail damage, wind damage or water damage? Simply put, it means that you can rely on Jasper Contractors for your roof replacement no matter where you live. Jasper’s local presence means that will receive the same great customer service you expect from a local contractor and their national size means you can depend on them to be there when you need them.
If you need an asphalt shingle roof replacement, call the roof replacement experts you can count on. Call Jasper contractors today!
Jasper Contractors has offices in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, New Orleans, Phoenix and Salt Lake City.
Air Conditioner Hail Damage
Air Conditioner Hail Damage
Hail can not only damage your roof, but it can also cause severe air conditioner hail damage, especially if you have a rooftop mounted unit like those commonly seen in Phoenix AZ and throughout the southwestern United States. Rooftop units are especially vulnerable because they are completely exposed to the damaging effects of hail.
In October 2010 a massive hailstorm caused widespread damage in Phoenix, Glendale, Scottsdale and the surrounding areas. While many homeowners have had their air conditioners repaired, thousands of others have hail damage that they are not aware of or just recently discovered.
Hail damage to your air conditioner often does not show up for months after the hailstorm. Hail deforms the soft fins on the compressor coil, causing your air conditioner to operate much less efficiently. It may take awhile for the homeowner to discover that their air conditioner is working harder.
If your system runs more than it used to or just can’t keep up with the heat, you may have hail damage. Another sign is a significantly higher electric bill. In some cases, your compressor gives out from working so hard.
If you suspect hail damage to your air conditioner, have it inspected by a reputable local HVAC company like Jasper Air as soon as possible. Some insurance companies set a time limit of a year for filing claims, so time may be running out. These deadlines may or may not be extended, but don’t take any chances. Have your HVAC system inspected and get your claim filed as soon as possible.
Jasper Contractors has offices in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, New Orleans, Phoenix and Salt Lake City.
Hail Damage
Hail Damage
Hail typically needs to be more than 1 inch in diameter before damage can occur to asphalt shingles. Some wood shake roofs may receive damage with slightly smaller hail stones. Additionally, small, intense (long lasting) hail may damage roofs that have some wear on them already.
Classic symptoms of hail damage include bruised, split or frayed shingles. Also look for signs of excessive granules in the down spouts or the gutters after a hail storm. These granules will look like pieces of sand or sand particles that are caught in your gutters and downspouts.
Other signs that hail damage may have occurred is if other nearby objects were damaged. If your back porch looks as if it has ‘dings’ in it, or cars parked outside have hail damage, it is very likely that your roof also suffered damage.
It is important to replace any hail damaged roof as soon as possible. In many cases, homeowner’s insurance policies will cover partial to full replacement. Hail damage that is left unattended will eventually cause shingle failure, allowing water to leak inside and damage to the home.
If you have recently experienced a hail storm in your area, the best thing you can do is to call a roofing professional. Contact a company that has been in business for several years and that has a reputation for stellar business. Professional roofing companies will always provide a written estimate of repairs and most will work with your insurance company to repair your roof as quickly as possible.
Jasper Contractors has offices in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Chicago, Cincinnati, Colorado Springs, Denver, New Orleans, Phoenix and Salt Lake City.
