If you suspect that your roof has sustained damage from a hail storm the first thing you need to do is inspect the roof for dents dings split shingles and any leaks and cover any damaged areas with a tarp or similar waterproof material to show the insurance company that you made initial efforts to mitigate the damage.
Hail roof sustained hail damage.
These are the places where you can easily spot it.
Wood shingles hail damage.
Metal roofs often have significant hail damage up top so the gutters will have some visible damage as well.
Asphalt and or mat that appears shiny.
Asphalt and composition shingles hail damage.
Now let s get on the roof.
How it absorbs the impact of hail will depend on building materials used as well as the age and condition of the roof.
Hail damage to a roof is usually not the hail itself but the water that can seep through a roof damaged by hail.
Hail hits that are soft to the touch like the bruise on an apple.
Even in extreme weather situations damage to a metal roof will take the form of small dents but not puncture break or tear the roof.
Roofs with multiple shingle layers may be damaged by smaller hail stones due to a softer support surface directly under the top shingle layer.
Materials which were unsupported or over easily compressible substrates had greater damage than those over more solid substrate.
Metal roofs can handle hail extremely well even better than most other roof types.
The amount and type of damage hail causes on roofs depends on a variety of factors.
If hail does cause damage this feature is covered by metal.
Loss of granules which may expose the roof felt.
Random damage with no discernable pattern.
For more tell tale signs of hail damage check out this big checklist of items that point to roof hail damage.
Spotting hail damage on your roof can be a little difficult.
Random damage with no discernable pattern.
Here are the top hail resistant roofing options.
Hail damage to roof vents and shingles.
If you see chipped paint it may be the result of hail impact.
Hailstorms can cause catastrophic damage to roofs especially when they are made from materials that aren t designed to hold up to high impact debris.
Top 3 hail resistant roofing options.
Decks and other painted surfaces surrounding the home may have sustained hail damage.
The most effective way to minimize hail damage is to choose durable hail resistant roofing materials.
An exception to damage occurring by 2 0 inch diameter hail was metal roofing panels which would sustain denting but retain water shedding integrity even up to 2 5 inch diameter hail in most cases.
Look also at metal fascia and other metal surfaces for signs of damage.
It is important to understand the different effects in order to help you determine whether or not it has sustained hail damage.
If your roof contains one layer of common asphalt shingles it usually takes a 1 or above diameter hail stone to cause damage roof hail damage.