Roof Talk-101 (5) Five Steps To Detect if You Have Roof Hail Damage
by Craig Foster
Hail causes a tremendous amount of damage per year to commercial and residential roofs in the United States, making it, year in and year
out, one of the most costly natural disasters. Detecting roof hail damage after
a hailstorm can be a difficult task. The best five things to look at when you
are trying to determine the possibility of hail damage are the areas around the
base of downspouts, gutters, metal vents, and roofing
shingles. Following the occurrence of a hailstorm, walk around your building or house and
follow these 5 steps to determine if you've had hail damage:
1. Inspect For Leaks
First and foremost, inspect for leaks. To an untrained professional, hail damage is not always apparent from the ground. Roof damage does not always cause immediate leaks, and all too often, hail damage goes undiscovered until after leaking or other serious damage occurs. Your roof may begin to leak, so inspect your interior ceiling after a heavy rain for any apparent water damage. Water staining anywhere on the ceiling is a good sign of roof damage.
First and foremost, inspect for leaks. To an untrained professional, hail damage is not always apparent from the ground. Roof damage does not always cause immediate leaks, and all too often, hail damage goes undiscovered until after leaking or other serious damage occurs. Your roof may begin to leak, so inspect your interior ceiling after a heavy rain for any apparent water damage. Water staining anywhere on the ceiling is a good sign of roof damage.
2. Look for Mineral
Deposits Check the area around the base of your downspouts. When hail impacts roofing shingles, it degrades the shingle and tends to knock off the granules. In most cases, the untrained eye cannot see this damage, but if you have standard asphalt shingles on your house, you'll want to check around the downspouts for excessive granule buildup. If evident, there is strong chance there has been roof damage from the storm. Just remember that this may simply be due to the age of the roofing material, so further investigation is needed.
3. Gutter and Downspout
Dings
Inspect all downspouts and gutters for dings. Some of the newer metal gutters are thin enough that hail the size of a marble will easily cause dents. Once again, if damage is evident, then the possibility of roof damage does exist.
Inspect all downspouts and gutters for dings. Some of the newer metal gutters are thin enough that hail the size of a marble will easily cause dents. Once again, if damage is evident, then the possibility of roof damage does exist.
4. Look for Mineral Deposits Check the area around the base of all downspouts. When hail impacts roofing shingles, it degrades the shingle and tends to knock off the granules. In most cases, the untrained eye cannot see this damage, but if there is standard asphalt shingles on the roof, check around the downspouts for excessive granule buildup. If evident, there is strong chance there has been roof damage from the storm.
5. Inspecting for Hail
Damage to Vents and Shingles
If you have any of the above indications, then you might want to inspect the roof vents and shingles. Please only do this if you have easy access to your roof and the slopes are not that steep. If you are not comfortable with getting up on your roof call a professional roofing company to assess the damage.
If you have any of the above indications, then you might want to inspect the roof vents and shingles. Please only do this if you have easy access to your roof and the slopes are not that steep. If you are not comfortable with getting up on your roof call a professional roofing company to assess the damage.
If you decide to get on the roof look at the vents, the drip edge, the
fascia, and the gutters for signs of damage. Normally, if you see dents in the
metalwork, your house may have hail damage. Next look at the roof shingles
for circular dimples or areas where the shingle mineral is missing. Hail might
produce a "dent" or a damage point on the surface of an asphalt
shingle roof, resulting in granule loss and reduced remaining roof life. In
most cases, the criteria for insurance claims is 10 hits in a 10ft square area.
If any of the above
steps result in positive indications, call for a professional inspection. Get
two or three professional roofing companies; preferably, hail damage certified ones, to come
and look at the building or home. Most will provide free estimates. Ask each if they
think there is enough damage to warrant filing a claim with your insurance
company. Even if they say; "No," you may still want to call your
insurance company since they make the final determination and the worst that
can happen is they deny the claim.
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