Recognizing Hail Damaged Roofs

Your shingles will show the most signs of damage in the direction of the hail.

Recognizing hail damaged roofs.

Signs of hail damage usually become apparent only after a few years when it has turned into leaks or other more serious issues. May be evident as the loss of metal coatings by hail scouring dents in metal roofing dents in wood shingles or shakes or broken clay or concrete tile roof coverings. One of the tricky things about recognizing the signs of hail damage is that it s sometimes unnoticeable unless you are physically on the roof or have a drone and even then you would have to know what to look for. Shingles with a granular texture such as those made from asphalt or composite materials may show granular loss that exposes the underlying felt random dents with no perceptible pattern and soft spots on the surface.

Pieces missing from asphalt splits and cracks in the shingles. The effect on your roof is gradual and it all starts when hail hits your roof and knocks off the protective granule coating of the roof shingles. If your roof contains one layer of common asphalt shingles it usually takes a 1 or above diameter hail stoneto cause damage roof hail damage. Hail hits that are soft to the touch like the bruise on an apple.

Wood shingles hail damage. If you can snap photos of the hail but only if it s safe. Random damage with no discernable pattern. Asphalt and composition shingles hail damage.

As a result many damaged roofs are never repaired or replaced. Here noticeable signs of damage. Additionally you ll want to pay attention to the wind direction of the storm. Loss of granules which may expose the roof felt.

However there are some guidelines. The visual signs of hail damage vary depending on the materials of the roof. Look for dents dings chipped surfaces etc. If a hail storm hits document the date and take pictures of the damage prior to any cleanup or repairs.

Hail damaged metal roofing tile roofing wood shingle or shake roofs. Use these to support your claim. If you see exposed roofing felt or plywood sheathing you definitely have hail damage. Hail damage often accompanies wind damage to roofing systems so you ll want to look for both.

Hail hits that are black in color. Roofs with multiple shingle layers may be damaged by smaller hail stones due to a softer support surface directly under the top shingle layer. Random damage with no discernable pattern. Check out all the roof vents and features to look for any damage.