Your roof serves as the first line of defense against anything that Mother Nature might throw at your home. What happens, though, when people are throwing items at your home, too? When baseballs and footballs hit your roof, it’s important to understand the type of damage they can cause so that you can properly repair your roof and make sure no lasting damage happens to the rest of your home.
Break the Seal
If baseballs, footballs, or other heavy objects hit your roof, one problem that could occur is broken seals between the shingles on your roof. Every asphalt shingle has an adhesive layer on the back that activates when the shingle gets hot. This adhesive helps to create a watertight seal across your entire roof. This seal can break when a hard impact occurs, potentially allowing water to flow under your shingles and damage your roof.
Damage the Sheathing
A direct hit from a baseball or football can do more than damage the top layer of your roof. The sheathing underneath, though strong, may receive damage if something heavy hits it in a concentrated area. Cracks in your sheathing can grow as the temperature changes throughout the year. Eventually, this will create the need for roof repair to maintain the integrity of your roof.
Bend the Metal
Even if you have a metal roof, you likely won’t escape damage if a football or baseball hits your roof. A hard hit could cause the metal to bend, especially if the impact occurs near a seam. A major bend could cause one piece of metal to pull away from an adjacent piece, leaving your roof open to leaks and other types of damage.
Break Tiles
Although clay tile roofs typically last longer than other types of roofs under normal conditions, a sudden impact from a baseball or football could still have devastating damage. The corners of individual tiles will likely chip, exposing sensitive areas of other tiles in the process. If repeated impacts occur, you may need to have some or all of your roof replaced.
Hidden Damage
One problem with roof damage sustained from a hard impact is that it’s often hard to see. Unless the damage is substantial, you may not notice any damage from the initial impact. This unseen damage left unrepaired can lead to much more significant problems down the road that are more expensive to repair. That’s why it’s important to inspect your roof closely on a regular basis so that you can spot any damage when it’s in its early stages.
