The effects of the recent storms in North
Texas with record-setting high winds that damaged countless trees, roofs, and power lines will be lingering with us for some time to come. As you can imagine our crews have been extremely busy the last few weeks engaging with homeowners and
business owners that need to repair or replace their roofs. Because it has been a subject of muchdiscussion lately, we thought this would be a good time to discuss the windratings of shingles.
The first factor is the wind zone location building that needs the product.
Most of North Texas is included in a classificationwhere the maximum wind speeds up to 90 miles per hour. Houston is part of the coastal
zone designations of up to 120 miles per hour, some other coastal
cities are classified in the 150 miles per hour. Wind zone information for
your home can be obtained from building code enforcement offices in your city.
The second factor used in establishing standards
was the classification of the shingles themselves, so that the appropriate
shingle selection could be made for the wind zone where a building is located. TheAsphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) decided to take a leading role in establishing wind resistance standards, developing them through a 14-year process of research, which included wind tunnel testing.
The wind rating should be clearly labeled on the packaging and your roofing professional is responsible for making sure they are installing a proper shingle for your area. NOTE you should never work with a contractor who is using unmarked or loose materials for a variety of reasons, but certainly not being able to tell the wind rating is one of them.
A third and most important factor in assuring you will have maximum protection is the proper installment of the shingles, following manufacturer standards for the number, type and placement of nails. This is why it is so important to work with a certified roofing contractor who is not only a member of RCAT and is also a certified installer by the manufacturer of the shingle itself. The warranty on the shingle is only valid if it is installed properly. Sadly we have been on a lot of roofs lately where this has not been the case and the homeowner is forced to go out of pocket when the warranty would have covered most of the damage.
If you believe you may have sustained damage in recent storms, do not delay getting your roof inspected. Integribuilt Roofing provides free residential inspections. Waiting is dangerous because chances are if you have do have damage you are also sustaining water leakage that may not be visible yet, even though it is doing quite a bit of damage.
