Hail storms’ detrimental effects vary depending on the size and speed they fall. They can be the size of a pea or a softball.
A hail storm can also damage crops, vehicles, and houses. This might not be much of a concern for homeowners, but even hailstones the size of a nickel can cause roof damage. It can bruise or crack roofing shingles, potentially damaging your home’s water leaks. So, a roof inspection must be conducted as soon as a hail storm passes.
Factors Affecting The Impact of A Hail Storm
Hail storms are incredibly damaging, but their damage varies greatly. Below are some factors that influence the type and extent of damage caused by a hail storm.
Building Materials
Roofing materials significantly affect the impact of a hail storm on your home. For instance, hailstones can dent your asphalt shingles, gutters, or aluminum siding. It can also cause cracks in vinyl siding or wood shakes. However, if a softball-sized hailstone falls onto your roof, it will likely puncture it.
Wind and Barriers
The wind speed and direction can change during a hail storm. So, if the winds are strong enough in the lower atmosphere, hail will likely fall at an angle or nearly sideways.
Horizontal winds, like rotating updrafts in supercell thunderstorms, can move hailstones and influence their growth.
On the other hand, barriers are essential to lessen the impact of roof storm damage on your home. Barriers include fences, trees, neighboring houses, landscaping, and the like, which help protect your house from severe hail hits.
Age and Condition of The Roof
Your roof’s age and condition are significant factors contributing to the impact of a hail storm on your top. For instance, if your roof has been neglected or has not undergone maintenance and repairs, there is a high possibility that your roof will receive extensive damage from the storm.
Types of Roofs Reacting To Hail Damage
There are methods for assessing the sustained hail damage in your home. While at it, you also need to check what type of roof your house has. When it is safe and secure to go outside, you will find the indicators on each roof type that your home has undergone significant damage.
Asphalt Shingle Roofing
Homeowners with an asphalt shingle roof on their house may see that the top has tears, fractures, bruises, or granule displacement. That said, it may compromise the shingles’ performance and lifespan. You may also discover that the damage has no discernible pattern, and the asphalt may appear shiny.
Additionally, hail hits can be soft to the touch.
Metal Roofing
Metal roofs are highly resistant to hail, outperforming most other roof types. They can make minor dents in extreme weather but with no punctures or tears.
If hail damages metal roofs, you can see minor cosmic cuts that do not cause structural problems and jeopardize their integrity.
Wood Shingle Roofing
A wood shingle is another type of roofing material that is thin and composed of tapered pieces of wood. When hailstones hit a wood shingle roof, a brown or slightly orange-colored split is likely present in the shingle.
How to Conduct a Roof Inspection for Hail Damage at Home
It is important to remember that not all roof damages are caused by hail storms. It may be due to exposure to inclement weather and sunlight that causes shingles to become brittle and age. This is normal shingle wear and tear, sometimes misclassified as hail damage. So, it is crucial to conduct a proper roof inspection to see if there is a need for a roof replacement.
Conduct Ground Checks
Before checking the roof, inspect your home for any hail storm damage, including fences, sheds, or roof fragments, as they strongly suggest that your roof has been damaged.
Get to the Roof as Close as Possible
When evaluating possible hail roof damage, the roof should be thoroughly walked. In addition, it is recommended to secure a roof plan to guide you with the whole roof structure. A roof plan allows you to compute the roof size, record field notes, and locate overall distress.
Roof appurtenances such as vents, rooftop units, and equipment should be evaluated. If you have a concrete tile roof, check if the tiles are shattered like a tile edge with a hail-caused spatter mark and a sizeable half-moon-shaped fracture along the tile overlap.
Look For Missing Pieces In The Asphalt Of The Roof
Identify any shingles with exposed, black substrate. This way, you’ll know that the asphalt granules have been damaged or whacked off. Check with a roofing technician for plausible solutions if you notice any of these.
Check for Surface, Hidden, or Imitated Damage
You can check if the hail damage is only on the surface level, hidden, or imitated. When you see signs of round black areas, bruises, small divots, and loss of protective granules, you will know that the damage is only on the surface level.
Meanwhile, hidden roof hail damage is not visible on the surface of a roofing shingle. The hailstone’s impact can force shingles to split, which is only visible on the backside of the roof shingles.
If you think the damage was not caused by hail, it may be an imitation of hail damage. Some examples are cracking and blistering caused by UV degradation, scuffing from shingle installation, deteriorated shingles, and wind and debris damage.
Inspect Your Gutter System
After a hail storm, one of the first things you’ll notice in your roof is your gutters. Even if your gutter system was designed to withstand the weight of ice, rain, and snow, hail could cause damage to even the most robust gutter systems. Hailstones can cause dents and dimples in your gutters that may result in water leaks, damaged downspouts, and broken gutter hangers. That said, it can cause excess water to overflow, resulting in cracks in the foundations of your home.
Schedule a Roofing Contractor From a Trusted Restoration Company
If you’re having difficulty inspecting for roof hail damage, it is recommended to call roofing contractors to check if there is a need for a complete roof replacement or not.
The contractor will examine the roof vents, skylights, chimneys, and siding, to assess if there is sufficient damage to file an insurance claim.
File an Insurance Claim With the Homeowners Insurance Company
If your contractor sees that the damage to your roof is eligible for an insurance claim, you must observe these simple step-by-step guides to ensure you are adequately compensated.
Step 1: Contact Your Insurance Company
After the damage has been evaluated and documented, it is best to contact your insurance provider as soon as possible. You will then be referred to a claims adjuster to scrutinize the damage and assess all corroborating evidence. It is also essential to keep in touch with your contractor as they can provide information concerning repairs or potential replacements.
Step 2: Reach Out to Your Roof Supplier
Your roof supplier knows what type of roof structures and equipment are needed if you are to repair or replace them. So, it is pivotal to talk to them and ensure that they work with your insurance company to guarantee that the necessary materials are provided.
Step 3: Find a House Restoration Company That You Trust
Regardless of whether you need a roofing repair or replacement, it is crucial to find a professional house restoration company proven to be good and trusted at their job. Finding those with years of experience, positive reviews, proof of license, and quick to minimize damages and claims loss is recommended.
Don’t Hesitate to Ask for a Professional Help
Conducting a thorough roof hail damage inspection is not as easy as it looks. It is often hard to determine and assess the damages as only someone with a trained eye can do it. It’s best to work with a roofing pro since they are trained to check for cracks and evaluate if the roof needs repair or replacement.
Protect Your Home From Future Problems
After a severe storm, you may find hail damage on your roof. If left unaddressed, the outcome could be leaks and other problems that will cost more in service bills or replacement costs for years down the line!
At Power House Restoration Inc., our team has skilled roof hail damage experts who are experienced in inspecting roofs after they’ve been hit by storms.
Need help? Let us help you inspect your roof today!