How To Identify Hail Damage On A Roof

 

Learning how to identify hail damage on a roof, even before hail plagues your town, could help speed up the process of cleaning up and replenishing roofing materials.

Because hail is unpredictable yet tortuous on roofs, learn from professionals who’ve repaired roofs for years.

Check out this roof inspection guide for more information.

Read on to discover how roof damage due to hail can be inspected safely, and accurately.

Hail Damage To Your Roof (What To Look For)

Hail storm roof damage occurs when constant downpours of rock-like substances ‘ping’ off your roof, roofing components (vents, for example) and gutters.

As many materials used on roofing applications have the ability to break off in small or large chunks, there are many areas where you’d overlook cracking, denting even slight imperfections in gutter downspouts.

Some residents don’t inspect their roofs because they weren’t home during hail storms, or because they assume roofing only gets damaged in hurricanes.

Let’s examine how hail damage affects various roof materials, and what to look for.

Hail Damage to Asphalt Roofs

 how to identify hail damage on a roof

Asphalt roofs (shingled or roll roofed) can see storm damage in many areas as stated above. So how will you know if storm damage occurred? Look for:

  • Mineral granules in guttering, sitting loose on roof, or on ground near base of gutter.
  • Visual cracks in bottom or corner sections of shingle.
  • Shingles that look ‘shifted’ or out of place
  • Exposure of bare decking (plywood sheathing)
  • Shingles that look malformed (known industry wide as ‘shingle bruising’)
  • Scuff marks or major discolorations

Most conventional three-tab shingles expand and contract with weather. It’s best to inspect before cold weather hits as cracked roofing materials could lower their ability to keep home warm.

Knowing how to identify hail damage on a roof before assuming the worst could help specialists remediate roof abnormalities quicker.

Another lesser known yet heavily damaged part of residential asphalt roofs is their ridge cap. As the ridge (where both angles meet at the top) lays flat, it’s perhaps the worst hit during hail storms.

It’s important to have this area inspected immediately because ridge caps have nothing underneath them.

Direct exposure to attic areas isn’t great, in fact, it’s almost certain to cause insulation damage if prolonged.

Hail Damage to Metal Roofs

Locating damage to metal roofs is more obvious that asphalt shingles. Dents or imperfections in corrugated metal stick out like sore thumbs. However, also look for loose nails and damage along seams.

You can see what other areas of metal roofs need attention by checking out our roof maintenance checklist.

Even though many metal roofs are UL 2218 IR at Underwriter’s Laboratories (highest rating given to roof materials), they’re not damage proof. Depending on what gauge of corrugated metal is used, or whether copper or aluminum materials have been applied, damage could be minuscule, or obvious from afar.

Understanding how to identify hail damage on a roof made of metal could save money and embarrassment.

Get A Free Hail Damage Roof Inspection

Heavy torrential rains, snow or excess hail can weigh down roofing materials, and if repairs haven’t been done to your roof in quite some time, your roof could risk collapsing.

Load bearing walls can become structurally unstable. The nightmarish nature of hail damage grows with each day it’s left uninspected.

The longer the damage goes untreated, the higher repair costs become.

If you’re unsure of the extent of hail damage, or aren’t aware how to identify hail damage on a roof, consult us today. We offer free hail damage roof inspections on demand.

Should you need immediate repairs, our roofing services immediately commence once we’ve got an accurate plan in place to begin replacing your roof and restoring your structure back to pre-hail condition.

Chapters

Part 1

 

Introduction

 

Part 2

 

Wind Damage

 

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