What Does Hail Do to Your Roof?

Although your roof is designed to bear the wrath of the elements, hail storms can be quite intense and can cause varying levels of destruction on your roof. Since the damage cannot be seen from the ground, many people often dismiss the idea of hail damage.

However, if you know where to look, you can find out if hail has damaged your roof. Some of the most common signs of hail damage are given below. These can help you determine whether your roof needs minor or extensive repairs.

Dented Gutters:One of the telltale signs of roof damage is dented gutters, downspouts, and screens. These damages are a good indication that there may be some damage to your roof as well.

Do not access a roof or fragile skylight to perform a chalk test. Safe observations of nearby damage can support the event history, but a qualified assessment is needed to establish the roof condition.

Dings on Window Sills and Siding:Your home’s sidings, window sill, and metal fascia on the roof eaves may also show some faint dings which indicate roof damage.

Chipped Deck: Hailstones can also chip off the paint on your deck, patio, or other outdoor hardscapes. If this is so, there may be some damage to your roof as well.

How Does Hail Damage Different Types of Roofing Material

Hail storms can impact the different types of roofing materials in different ways:

Hail can damage asphalt-shingle surfacing, reinforcement or details. Severity depends on the product, condition, impact and assembly. Visible granule changes alone do not establish the full functional damage or the repair scope.

Metal can dent, crack at details or suffer other damage in hail. A dent does not by itself establish a leak, but no material should be assumed immune to puncture. Have the actual covering, coating, joints and damage assessed.

Clay and concrete tiles can crack or be displaced in hail. The exact product, condition and impact matter; there is no blanket assurance that damage will be minor.

Slate can fracture or be displaced under impact. Assess the actual tiles, attachments and surrounding details rather than assuming a stone covering cannot be damaged.

Wood shingles or shakes can split or suffer impact damage. Species, grain, treatment, age, exposure and assembly condition matter. Cedar and redwood should not be presented as hardwoods or as a universal hail-resistance guarantee.

Compare the proposed work and contractor.

The damage to your roof may be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on the type of roofing material you have chosen and the intensity of a hail storm. The most serious kind of damage involves the collapse of the roof and flooding of your house. However, the chances of this happening to roofs in good condition are very small.

Most of the time, the most common concern is water leaking into your home through tiny cracks and dents in the roof. This can further weaken your entire roof structure and cause rot. The insulation of your home may also be affected because of a damaged roof.