Identifying Hail Damage
Hail damage to your roof is either obviously noticeable or dangerously hidden. Depending on the size, a hail stone can cause significant damage. For example a composite roof could see a loss of granules that could lead to the felt being exposed, or a roof could be hit so hard that it creates indentures in the sheathing much like a bruised apple that leaves the overall health of your roof in need of repair. A wood shake shingle roof will have no discernable pattern of damage, or it could have splits in the shingles that are brown/orange in color. There are many other types of hail damage that go unnoticed and can affect your roof’s health. Here are some tips to identify hail damage.
1. Granule Loss
Granules are the sandpaper-like part of the shingle that help protect felt and sheathing. This can quickly lead to accelerated aging because of exposure to the elements. To check for granule loss, take a look in your gutters and downspouts to see if you spot any granules. While major damage can be obvious, damage such as granule loss can be more complicated to spot to the untrained eye.
2. Cracks in Shingles
Hard hail impacts can cause your shingles to crack. The typical size of hail that can damage your roof begins at quarter size, but usually cracks in shingles are caused by golf ball sized hail. This type of damage can lead to water damage and rotting of wood both on the roof and in the home. More importantly, this type of damage cannot be spotted by an untrained eye.
3. Impact Dents
A good way to spot this type of damage is to identify black marks on your shingles, or more than likely there is some gutter and/or downspout damage. This can be unnoticeable, if left untreated it could lead to more severe damage.
4. Shingle Tears
Usually this is caused by high winds, but sometimes this can result from the combination of high winds and hail. Shingle tears are more likely to be noticeable and if left unrepaired can result in shingle loss or section damage.
There are many different ways to identify hail damage, many of which are undetectable to the untrained eye. We are a reputable roofing contractor that prides itself on the details.Want to learn more? Contact us today at https://bit.ly/3n6Ev12 We offer free no obligation inspections.