Do you live in an area that has a lot of hail storms? Have many of the homes in your area had new roofs put on recently? Are you concerned that you might have hail damage to your roof and not even know it?
If you live in an area that has many hail storms, you may have hail damage to your roof and not even be aware of it. Hail damage may not cause a roof to leak immediately, however, it will cause you trouble over time. You may not feel comfortable contacting your insurance company and requesting an adjuster come to look at your roof until you know if that is necessary. Most roofers will be happy to come out and look at your roof and let you know if there is enough damage to warrant a call to the insurance company.
If you don’t feel comfortable with calling your insurance company or a roofer without first doing a little research on your own, this article will highlight a few things that you can look for that indicate you do have hail damage. Some of the items in this article will apply other roofing systems, but the article is written mainly about asphalt shingles.
The size of the hail that has fallen in your area can tell you a lot about whether or not your roof has hail damage. Generally speaking, hail must be fairly large to cause damage to asphalt shingles. If hail over the size of 1 1/4” in diameter (approximately the size of a half-dollar) has fallen in your area recently, your chances of your roof having received hail damage greatly increase. The amount of wind during the storm and the slope of your roof are also important factors that affect whether your roof will be damaged by the hail.
Another easy thing you can check to give some insight into whether or not your roof may have been damaged during a hail storm is to observe damage to other items around your house. Check your gutters and downspouts (if you have them). Have they been damaged? How about your fence and siding? Did your car receive any damage? Looking at damage in other areas can help you determine how severe the storm was.
Also, look around to check if any pieces of shingles or shingle granules have been dislodged from the roof. The granules may end up in your gutters or on the ground around your house. If you find a lot of granules, or especially pieces of shingle, it is more likely that your roof has been damaged.
The final thing you can do is get out a ladder. Looking at the shingles from the ladder may be enough and you may not have to climb up on to the roof. Look for damage on the roofing shingles. The markings on the shingles should be fairly obvious and will appear completely random and may vary in size.
If your inspection of the area around your home and your roof lead you to believe you have hail damage, you can feel more confident when contacting your insurance company or a roofing professional. Let the insurance company or roofing professional know the steps you have taken in determining if your roof has hail damage and ask them to send someone out to give you their professional opinion.
If you want more information or have any questions, please visit our website at www.apextx.com or view our YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/ApexRoofingInc.
