There’s little more alarming than the sound of hail pounding away on your roof like thousands of hammers. The damage hail results in can be unpredictable—sometimes even difficult to notice at first—but it is essential to get addressed as soon as possible to keep your roof healthy and robust and to protect the value of your home.
How Hail Damages Roofs
A lot depends on what roofing materials are being used. Hail affects different materials in different ways. For instance:
- Slate roofs: Hail can cause significant cracks on slates, resulting in some slates breaking loose from their fasteners and sliding off. The cracks themselves will appear very randomly, so you need to examine the roof carefully.
- Wood shingles: Like slate, wood shingles will often suffer cracks from hail impacts and sometimes break completely loose. Generally, however, the cracking will appear along the wood’s grain and be simpler to spot.
- Asphalt shingles: While asphalt shingles may suffer from broken or cracked tabs following a hail storm, the more common form of damage comes in crushed or dented areas where the coarse texture of the shingle gets hammered into the shingle mat material or displaced entirely. Because these granules reflect and protect the shingle from UV degradation, these dents shouldn’t be ignored as they will result in shortened shingle life and make your roof more vulnerable to future damage.
Due to wind, roof hail damage can vary from one part of the roof to another. Hail impact that comes at a glancing angle will do different damage than a head-on direct strike.
What To Do Following a Hail Storm
The most important thing to remember following a hail storm is to examine your roof for potential damage right away and document any damage you see—ideally with photos. This will assist you in any insurance claims but remember always to use care when on your roof. An even better option would be to have a trusted, local roofing professional take a look for you and provide you with a repair quote.
While breaks in slate and wood shingles may be reasonably easy to spot, asphalt shingles can be a little trickier. Areas of asphalt that are shiny or black are a fair indication of being hit as the granules get knocked away, exposing the mat beneath. If you’re in a position to be able to feel around for damage, these areas may also feel softer where hit.
In all cases, the damage may appear random, so do as complete an inspection as safely possible.
Even if the damage doesn’t seem that bad, realize that leaks or structural issues may not appear right away. You want to fix these problems while they’re small. Even small damage that gets ignored at first will become a larger problem over time.
Roofing Services At an Affordable Price
Adams and Sons Roofing Company is your professional roofing contractor with knowledge and experience with a wide range of roofing systems. No other roofing company can commit to the same quality of services we offer. Call us today for an inspection or answer any questions you may have on protecting your home’s roofing.