Hail can do a lot of damage to your property, especially to your roof. Here’s how to assess roof hail damage, so you can file a claim and have the damage fixed.
Hail can cause a devastating amount of damage. It can damage your patio furniture, your car, and even the exterior of your home. Thankfully, identifying hail damage on these belongings is easy. You can see the cracks, dents, and shattered glass from ground level. Unfortunately, there’s one other thing that hail can damage that’s much harder to assess—your roof. Hail can damage your roof in a variety of ways. Most insurance companies will cover hail damage to your roof, but only if the damage is correctly assessed and documented beforehand. If you’re wondering how to assess roof hail damageso you can file a claim and start scheduling the necessary repairs, this handy guide will help you navigate the process.
How To Inspect Your Roof for Damage
Typically, you’ll want to start by searching for damage at ground level. If the hail has caused severe damage, you might notice ripped-off shingles littering your yard or an entire tree laying across the roof. Minor damage, on the other hand, can be difficult to detect. You may want to contact an experienced roofer to inspect the rest of your roof for damage.
Next, you’ll need to search up high, starting with the gutters. High-impact hail can dent your gutters and downspouts. You might also notice shingle granules that have accumulated in the gutters, which is another sign of roof damage. Once you inspect your gutters, make sure to check your siding and deck for damage—apart from your roof, these are the two areas that are most frequently damaged by hailstorms. If either is damaged, the likelihood of your roof also being damaged is high.
The Different Types of Hail Damage
There are a lot of variables that determine how hail damages your roof. Generally, the bigger the hail and the stronger the winds, the more damage that will occur. However, even smaller pieces of hail can cause serious cosmetic or functional damage to your roof. Toproperly assess roof hail damage, it’s important to know what kind of damage to look for. Some of the most common types of damage caused by hail include:
Granule Loss
Granules are the part of the shingle that looks and feels like sandpaper. When a shingle loses granules, its asphalt coating is left exposed and vulnerable to the elements. If granules have come off your shingles, the best place to find them is in your gutters and downspouts.
Damaged Fiberglass Mat
If hail damages the surface of your shingles, it can cause them to break away. This will leave the fiberglass mat underneath them exposed. A fiberglass mat can also be fractured, torn, or cracked by hail.
Cracks
Hail can grip the shingles, leading to cracks, tears, and bare spots. A cracked shingle can’t protect your roof from the weather, which makes repairing
hail damage to roof shingles important.
If you’re in need of roof repair after a hailstorm, there’s no better place to call than Viking Contractors. Your insurance will handle the cost, and our knowledgeable, skilled, and friendly roofing contractors will handle the repairs. Contact us today for a free inspection and quote!
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