It is easy to assume that if a roof still has all its tiles after a windy night, it has escaped without damage, but this is not always the case. For homeowners in Fishponds checking their roof after strong winds, it is worth understanding that a roof covering can look completely intact from the ground while still having sustained a genuine problem, one that only becomes apparent with a closer, more deliberate check.
Wind can loosen fixings without actually dislodging the tile or slate they are holding in place. A tile that has been rocked repeatedly by gusting wind may have a slightly weakened nail or clip, meaning it now sits marginally less securely than before, even though it has not moved far enough to be visibly out of place. This kind of damage tends to reveal itself gradually, sometimes only when the next storm finally finishes what the previous one started, which is why repeated bouts of severe weather can be more damaging cumulatively than any single event.
Flashing is particularly prone to this kind of hidden damage. Wind can work at the edge of a flashing strip, creating a small gap or slightly loosening the seal, without pulling the whole thing away. From the ground, or even from a casual look on the roof itself, this can be very difficult to spot, yet it is enough to let water in during the next spell of heavy rain, well before it would ever be noticed just by looking.
Ridge and hip tiles can also be affected without actually falling. The mortar bedding them in place can crack under the stress of strong wind even if the tile stays roughly where it was, and a cracked bed is considerably weaker than an intact one, making the same tile far more likely to move during a subsequent storm even if this one leaves it in place.
Underlay and roofing felt beneath the visible covering can be damaged too, particularly if wind has caused tiles above to lift and drop repeatedly, a movement that can gradually wear or tear the felt without a single tile ever actually coming loose. This kind of damage is essentially invisible without lifting tiles to check underneath, which is one reason it tends to go completely unnoticed until a leak eventually develops somewhere else on the roof.
Because so much of this damage is not visible from the ground, an inspection after unusually strong winds is worth considering for properties across Fishponds even where nothing looks obviously wrong. Brunel Roofing Bristol offers free inspections that can identify this kind of hidden wear before it turns into a leak, catching the sort of damage a quick look from the ground would never reveal.
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