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Thuderstorms, hail, tornadoes damage roof


All thunderstorms are dangerous. Every thunderstorm produces lightning, which kills more people every year than tornadoes. An average of 80 people is killed and 300 injured each year by lightning. In addition, heavy rain from thunderstorms can lead to flash floods, which are the number one cause of deaths associated with thunderstorms. Strong winds hail and tornadoes may be associated with some thunderstorms. Lightning also causes many fires each year.

Even strong structures may not be able to withstand tornadoes, and some tornadoes have been seen to rip asphalt from the ground. The stronger the wind speed, the more likely the sight of heavily damaged buildings and grounds. An F0 tornado will not cause much structural damage; you may see damaged tree branches or roofs, and windows broken by flying objects. Anything that might be lifted or moved by regular winds may be affected. As wind speed increases, stronger tornadoes can actually lift houses from their foundations, as happened in the Jarrell, Texas, tornado of 1997.

Hail causes more than $1 billion in damage to property and crops each year. You do not want to own a new car dealership when there is thunderstorm with large hail. The flash of lightning and the boom of thunder occur at the same time. Lightning is seen before the thunder is heard, however, because light travels faster than sound.
By counting the number of seconds between the lightning flash and the sound of the thunder, you can tell roughly how far away the storm is. Every five seconds represents one mile. If the storm is a mile away, the lightning flash reaches you virtually instantaneously, but it takes about 5 seconds for the sound of the thunder to reach you.


Thunderstorms affect small areas when compared with large storms like hurricanes and winter storms. The typical thunderstorm is about 15 miles in diameter and lasts for about 30 minutes. Nearly 1,800 thunderstorms are occurring at any given time around the world, and more than 20 million lightning strikes a year.


In the southeastern and western states, most thunderstorms occur during the afternoon. In the Plains states, thunderstorms are common in the late afternoon and at night. Tornadoes are the most violent type of storm, with wind speeds reaching up to 300 miles per hour. Tornadoes develop from powerful thunderstorms and appear as rotating, funnel-shaped clouds.

Check the size of the hail if possible. If the hail is one inch to one and a quarter inches in diameter, then the hailstorm may have damaged your roof. As a point of reference, hail that causes damage is usually about the size of a half dollar. After a hail storm it can be hard to see the damage to the roof, but experts say the best thing to look at is vents and the gutter down sprouts. So after a hail storm, have a walk around your house to inspect for damage. After you get close enough to your roof to inspect the shingles, look for hail marks. On asphalt shingles these look like dimples or dark spots where the hail has hit on the shingle. You may even see parts of the shingle edges that have been knocked off. Note any areas where you see the asphalt underlayment exposed. This is the liner between your shingles and the roof boards. Fresh damage from hail often has a shiny appearance because the asphalt granules have not had time to weather and dull.

When it comes to a tornado it doesn't matter what the intensity of it is if your house is not properly built to withstand it. If your house is not wind-proofed it can suffer a lot of damage. Inspect the roof of your house. If you are uncomfortable with checking your own roof then have someone come out and look at it for you. The connection between your walls and your roof needs to be strong enough to resist the uplift caused by the wind of the tornado and they should be secured with metal connectors.



It is advisable, that after each natures disaster check your roof to see if there is any damage caused. If you are not able to identify the damage then call for a roof inspection at 281-883-2692.

Summer Rains, High Temperatures cause roof problems


Most of the building owners think that summer won't create any roofing problems. But its not true. Even summer rains, high temperatures causes roofing problems and if you don't take care of them they might become worse later in winter and rainy seasons.

Daily afternoon rains are quite common at this time of the year and in the summer months to come, we can expect more of the same. This can mean trouble for home and business property roofs. The hot summer sun , wind and rain storms often cause great damage to roofs of all kinds, if your roof is not in the best condition, now is the time to have it repaired or replaced.

For expert, dependable roofing call Brandon Jensen at 281-883-2692,Rocket Roofing Corp. Serving all Houston, TX suburbans, state certified, bonded and insured , your complete satisfaction is assured.

For old, built-up tar and gravel roofs, Rocket Roofing Corp recommends modified bitumen roof. It gets rid of those messy pebbles and stones. Roof replacement includes tearing off the old roof to the wood, install new flashing, nail down a 30 lb fiberglass base sheet the apply and torch down the Bitumen asphalt roofing in heat-fused, overlapping strips. Certified installers, top quality material and a 20 year warranty on labor and a life time warranty on materials assure you a first class job.

On a typical shingle roof job, Rocket Roofing Corp will strip off the old roof down to the bare wood then replace rotted lumber as needed. Next, a 15-lb felt moisture barrier is put on. Then all new, metal flashing's and drip edging is installed. After that, top quality self sealing Class A fiber glass shingles are nailed down to complete the new roof. Call 281-883-2692 for free inspection and estimate

Ventilation of the home attic is important for two reasons. During the summer, excess heat that builds up in the attic during the day results in high energy costs for cooling. Also, moisture produced within the home may move into the attic if ceiling vapor barriers are not used. If this moisture is not exhausted from the attic it can condense and cause insulation and construction materials to deteriorate. Thus, temperature and moisture control are the major reasons for providing attic ventilation.

The amount of insulation using these days was not enough, especially in summer it might cause to increase utility bills because of the 90 degrees temperature, hot breeze.

Roll Roofing- Installation and repair

Roll roofing is not a technical term used by the professional roofing contractors or roofers and manufacturers. The name is derived by the house owners, commercial customers based on the material structure. Anyways the name became so popular that some people don't know the technical term "roof underlayment" is roll roofing.

Many people want to install roll roofing due to the fact that roll roofing is an inexpensive alternative for many roofing needs. It is much more convenient and easy to install than other roofing choices. If you want to install roll roofing, then you will be pleasantly surprised to know that there is only one sheet of roll roofing needed, compared to three layers in other roofs.

If a roof is almost completely flat, then it is recommended that you use what is known as double coverage selvage. Before you install roll roofing, you should understand that this type of roofing is more delicate than other roofing materials. In fact, if the weather becomes too cold, it may crack or become damaged. Best results are achieved when it is installed at temperatures of 45 degrees F or above. If you wanted to install roll roofing in a cold climate, you can successfully accomplish this, as long as you warm the roof rolls first.

It is very important before you install roll roofing that you make sure each piece is completely flat and smooth. If It isn't, or if your roll roofing has a dried puckered look or is curling, then you will need to straighten it.Installing roll roofing is so easy that just one or two people are needed to complete it. You can run the roll roofing either horizontally or vertically. Vertical installation is the best option on really steep slopes. Either way, the seams need to be overlapped by 2 inches and sealed with roofing cement.

You can accomplish this by straightening out the pieces, and then cutting them into sheets that are between 12 or 18 feet in length. After you successfully cut the pieces, you can stack them so that they will dry. It should take anywhere between sixty minutes to one hour for your cut pieces to return to a completely flat state. Roll roofing is a suitable choice for roofing material because it can last between 6-12 years. It is made out of the same substance as shingles; asphalt coated fiberglass or felt. IT installs with very little effort and in an expedient manner. If you want to re roof a shed, the choosing single layer roll roofing is recommended. You can use single roll roofing on a roof that has a flat roof, not one that has an inclined slope.

Roll roofing is made of similar materials as shingles, but it is cheaper and easier to install. Since it is not as attractive or as long lasting with only a 5 to 12-year life span, roll roofing is generally used on flat roofs, sheds, or areas that are not seen. Roll roofing is quick to unroll, which is why it is cheaper and faster to install.

Roll roofing does have some disadvantages. One is the shorter life span. Another is the single layer of protection that it offers as opposed to three layers when you use shingles. It is also more susceptible to cracking in temperatures below 45 degrees. You must carefully sweep the roof to keep small sticks or rocks from poking through the roll roofing. The last inconvenience is having to use roofing cement to seal the seams and nails.