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Neil Furry, Founder and CEO of ClearCoat Roofing, is bringing change to the roofing industry by using a ClearCoat nano silica solution to repair and maintain existing roofs.
Repairing or installing new shingles on the roof of a home can be a complex and costly procedure. This can be an even more difficult process for homeowners relying on their insurance company to cover the costs of repair. According to Furry, in the last two decades insurance companies have been increasingly denying insurance claims of homeowners. The companies do this because of a slowing economy, which has led the insurance providers to be unwilling to pay for the damages. Instead, they just either approve small repairs such as vents, small amounts of shingles, or they simply wait for the likelihood that the homeowners will move out, and the policy is no longer valid.
From a wider perspective, this has led to many homeowners feeling let down and uncared for by their insurance providers. The effects can also be felt from roofing companies throughout the United States that focus on the insurance restoration market, and try to help homeowners practice their rights to utilize the policies that they pay thousands of dollars a year for. As more insurance companies withhold funding for roof replacements it causes small roofing businesses to shut down because they are unable to contract as many jobs in markets where the roofing industry is primarily insurance claim driven. Furry says the insurance providers do this because when there are fewer roofing providers on the market they won’t have to pay out as many claims, thus saving them tens of millions of dollars on an annual basis for the roofing repairs that homeowners are entitled to through their policies that they have taken out on their homes.
Furry is bringing an easy and affordable solution to homeowners who are facing the possibility of getting storm damage on their roofs in a climate that is prone to hail and high winds that damage their roofs. This alone will help eliminate the struggles between them and their insurance providers. The solution is an additive solution that is applied to the shingles of an asphalt shingle roof. This then changes the chemical compound of the shingle, which causes it to be much more durable while lasting ten to 15 years longer than shingles that are currently produced. The process of installing the additive solution is much easier than typical roof replacements that require removing the entirety of the shingles on a roof and then installing new ones. Additionally, this is the more eco-friendly manner of dealing with shingle roofing by lessening the amount of shingles that are brought to the dump each year, which is in the Millions of tons per year.
Furry says he and the team at ClearCoat Roofing can install the additive solution on up to ten homes a day. He says he wants to educate homeowners and insurance providers on all the benefits of the solution because it will save both parties time and money. Often homeowners go through a long process of negotiating with insurance companies and proving the damages to a roof are an imminent problem to be fixed. Instead, homeowners can be assured of shingle longevity when they are installed and treated with the additive solution. Furry says this will incentivize the insurance companies to begin implementing the solution into their system to start protecting the thousands of roofs that they must insure a year. If they can instead pay a fractional price to protect the roofing from hail they will save Millions of dollars in the lifetime of their policy with each home they insure. This will bring savings for homeowners and insurance companies alike.
The solution that Furry uses is a type of nano silica with years of scientific research backing its use as a solution to enhance, protect and increase the lifespan of asphalt shingle roofs. The research shows the nano-silica to be an innovative solution to reducing the costs of repairing or replacing roof shingles. Over a decade of scientific study has shown nano silica to be highly effective at modifying the mechanical properties of asphalt, an ingredient used in roofing shingles, that correspond to aging factors. The nano silica doesn’t add a protective layer or replace a loss of oil. It permanently enhances the molecular structure of asphalt shingles. During the research trials damaged shingles were observed under a microscope. Before the nano silica was applied there were aging cracks on the shingles along with whitening and small holes. After the solution was applied all the cracks and holes began to seal.
Another highly beneficial use of the nano silica solution is its contribution to sustainability. When a roof has to be repaired the old shingles are usually buried underground, which takes at least 300 years for them to break down. If they’re not buried the shingles are thrown into a landfill, which further contributes to pollution of the natural environment. Furry says with millions of roofs being repaired every year in the United States alone there is a significant potential for the nano silica to be used in the reduction of waste.
“When I look at shingles that were put on a roof 15 years ago they will look the same as ones put on a roof 25 years ago. This is because manufacturers of shingles don’t produce the shingles at the same quality as they used to,” says Furry. “The nano silica solution we are using has been proven to increase the resistance to damage and extend the life of the shingles by ten to 15 years. While the nano silica solution does not repair your roof if it’s already damaged, when used on a newly installed roof it can ensure its longevity. I really want to show how the additive solution can change the entire industry and save homeowners thousands of dollars, while millions of dollars can be saved for insurance companies.”
