What The Hail? When hail damage to your roof occurs, here’s how to deal with it.
Hail and high-speed winds caused almost $15 billion in damage in the United States alone last year. Hundreds of damaged homes resulted from this, accounting for roughly 40% of insurance claims.
Because hail affects just about anything outside, including your car, your windows, and your roof, the costs associated with hail damage can quickly add up. A smashed window or a damaged automobile are two examples of hail damage. Yet it takes a seasoned eye to detect the little, inconspicuous Hail damage. You may need a hail damage roof examination to discover how much harm you’ve sustained and what steps to take with any roof repairs that are necessary, even if there are no apparent holes in your roof due to hail damage.
What The Hail? When hail damage to your roof occurs, here’s how to deal with it.
Hail and high-speed winds caused almost $15 billion in damage in the United States alone last year. Hundreds of damaged homes resulted from this, accounting for roughly 40% of insurance claims.
Because hail affects just about anything outside, including your car, your windows, and your roof, the costs associated with hail damage can quickly add up. A smashed window or a damaged automobile are two examples of hail damage. Yet it takes a seasoned eye to detect the little, inconspicuous Hail damage. You may need a hail damage roof examination to discover how much harm you’ve sustained and what steps to take with any roof repairs that are necessary, even if there are no apparent holes in your roof due to hail damage.
Granule loss
Granules are the sandpaper-like component of the shingle. When a shingle loses its granules and ages more quickly, the asphalt coating is exposed to the elements. After a shower, check your gutters and downspouts for clues that granules from your shingles have fallen off. The shingles have started to split.
- Shingles can be damaged by hard hail or strong winds. This may result in your roof having bare spots due to exposure and tears. Roofs with broken shingles are ill-equipped to withstand the elements.
Exposed fiberglass mat
- Shingles’ surface may be shattered by hail, allowing the fiberglass mat beneath to separate from the roof.
Fractured fiberglass mat
- It may take a trained eye to detect fractured fiberglass, which is somewhat more difficult. A point of hail impact may cause tears and cracks in fractured fiberglass mats.
Weakened self-seal strip
- Your shingles’ seal integrity might be weakened by strong winds and hail. A shingle can blow off if the seal is weakened, exposing your roof to the elements. The integrity of the shingle has been irreversibly ruined when it is damaged. Leaks may occur as a result of this, and neighboring shingles might be damaged.
After a hailstorm, you can begin to investigate signs of damage on your property once you are aware of the most frequent types of hail roof destruction.
How do you know if your roof or exterior has hail damage?
Minor roof damage, such as shingles ripped off or tree limbs down, is obvious to see with an untrained eye, but severe roof damage is more difficult to detect. If you need a roof assessment for hail damage, contact a qualified company; if you want our advice, contact us.
Your gutters are the first area to check for hail damage. Your gutters and/or downspouts are likely to be dented by high-impact hail that causes roof damage. When inspecting for signs of roof damage, this is the most simple area to check. Your gutters and downspouts are likely to suffer from dents and dings, which may cause problems on the roof.
Due to the granules that shingles may shed when hail strikes them, gutters will also fill up and clog. Hail may have damaged your roof if your gutters are clogged and overflowing.
Your siding is the second location we recommend investigating, and your deck is the third. A severe hailstorm in either of these regions would damage both, and they are good indicators of shingle damage. You should have a roof inspection if there is any hail damage to our siding or deck..
Can 1-inch hail cause damage to a roof?
It is true! Even hail as small as 1 inch may harm a roof or other parts of your home. The amount of damage you may suffer after a hailstorm might be determined by the size of the hail. Understanding the different sizes of hail and how they impact your property is a good place to start, although it isn’t a foolproof strategy for anticipating storm damage.
¾” Hail
Even if the smallest hail we observe is just ¾”, it may be harmful depending on prevailing winds. Vinyl siding, window screens, metal fascia, and paint on a deck are all susceptible to hail damage of this size. It may also harm gutters and downspouts, as well as dislodge granules from asphalt shingles. Property owners often fail to recognize the damages caused by hail under one inch because of its smaller magnitude.
1” Hail
We start to see shingle underlayment bruising and substantial destruction to siding, gutters, and fascia once we reach the 1″ mark. The severity of the damage will be determined by wind speeds, and roof damage similar to that caused by smaller hail sizes will also be visible.
1¼” Hail
The severity of this sort of hail is greatly increased with just a ¼” rise in size. Hail-damaged parts of your property may appear to be Swiss cheese. We can expect damage from this hail just by falling out of the sky, even if there is no wind.
1½” Hail
Hail of this size has the potential to cause severe damage to property. Hail damage to your property might be severe depending on the quantity, length of time it falls, and accompanying wind speeds.
1¾ – 2” Hail
Now we’re getting to the size where the hail can penetrate softer parts of a roof, such as ridge caps or plastic roof vents. This size of hail can destroy siding, shatter windows, and damage most types of metal fixtures when combined with wind.
2” Hail
Anything bigger than this will have a significant and severe impact on your property. We no longer ask if you’ve suffered property damage; we ask where you’ve suffered it. It’s advised that you contact a roofing contractor with insurance expertise following a storm incident of this nature.
What does roof damage from hail look like?
The hail damage to your roof will probably be obvious if a storm brings hail that is over one inch in diameter. Roof damage can be much more severe when hail is combined with high wind speeds. Cracked or broken windows, damaged siding, and dented gutters are all signs of damage that you may see. Even if the hail was modest, make sure you get a roof inspection after a hailstorm by calling a storm damage repair crew to check your roof.
What does hail damage look like on a roof?
Hail can crack or even shatter harder materials like clay or concrete, whereas these are the most frequent forms of damage we see on asphalt shingles. When you consider hail impact marks, you really start to see how a roofing expert can help spot small, important details.
Can Hail Damage to a Roof be Repaired?
It is true! Repairing a roof harmed by hail may be as simple as replacing a single shingle or as complex as replacing the complete roof, depending on how much damage has occurred. After a big hailstorm, we recommend that everyone have their roof inspected by a professional to understand this vast difference in repair options. The degree of the damage can be assessed quickly by an experienced roofer.
If you believe your roof has been damaged during a recent or past storm and would like to have it inspected, most roof inspections are also free. If you aren’t sure whether or not you’ll need a hail damage roof inspection, check for indications of wear like the ones listed above. A hail damage roof inspection should be seriously considered if you discover more than one instance of damaged gutters or siding. Shingle damage might be catastrophic or hardly noticeable, as we previously stated. It’s essential to comprehend the little damage and choose what sort of hail damage roof repairs may be required, while it’s simple to tell when significant damage has occurred.
What Happens When You Ignore These Repairs?
Shingle and roof damage may quickly progress to leaks or ice dams if they are not addressed. Mold damage, electrical problems, and rotting wood are all expensive to repair as a result of this.
Wood rot and mold, for example, can spiral out of hand and be difficult to detect before it is almost too late. Thousands of dollars may be saved and your home maintained in excellent shape by being proactive about prospective issues.
Handling Hail Roof Damage
It’s crucial to locate a roofing contractor that you trust and, preferably, one with experience working on projects for which homeowners have filed insurance claims after you’ve decided what to do and if your home was damaged.
Is a hail-damaged roof covered by insurance?
Depending on where you live, who your insurer is, and the specifics of your policy, a typical homeowner’s insurance policy will include coverage for hail damage.
How long do I have to make a Hail Damage Insurance claim?
Many insurance companies require you to file a claim within one year after determining that your roof has sustained hail damage. As soon as you suspect roof damage caused by hail, we recommend that you schedule an appointment to have your roof inspected. You’ll want plenty of time to read damage evaluation and hail roof replacement quotes, among other things.
Our Dri-Tex.com Roofing Experts Can Help
Hail damage is a topic that we understand well at Dri-tex.com. Contact us for a free property evaluation if you’re concerned about hail damage to your roof. We will assess the size of the task that will be necessary to fix your property and get it looking as good as new! Visit www.dri-tex.com for roofing professionals’ help.