Are You Missing Hail Damage On Your Roof?

There's no mistaking severe hail damage on a car. In many cases, you'll see everything from massive dents to shattered glass. However, your home is much more durable, and that also means that significant hail damage is easy to miss. Many homeowners may not realize the amount of damage present on their roof or how it can affect its longevity.

Inspecting the roof from the ground often isn't enough, and you can't always understand the severity of the problem until you get up close. These three steps will explain the typical process that roofing contractors use to inspect roofs for hail damage and determine if they require replacement.

1. Inspect the Whole Roof

Contractors will usually begin by getting on top of the roof to gain a general understanding of its condition. Roofing can suffer physical damage from numerous causes, including branch strikes and heavy wind. Older roofs also typically have various problems such as missing or warped shingles, damaged flashing, or other blemishes.

In most cases, hail damage will stand out from these other forms of wear. Most hail impacts look like small, dark circles, often of a relatively uniform size. Impact marks also tend to be spread out around the roof in a random but relatively uniform distribution. Your contractor will look for these telltale signs before proceeding with their inspection.

2. Check Impact Severity

The dark spots on your roof indicate that hail impacts "bruised" the shingles by compressing the granules and knocking some loose. Depending on the size and speed of the hail, it may have also damaged the fiberglass mat. In extreme cases, the hailstones can hit the shingle hard enough that the force causes it to separate.

Your contractor will check a few of the impact spots, noting their size and looking for evidence of damage that's more than just cosmetic. They will also look for signs that the shingle damage may be causing leaks or other issues with your roof.

3. Count the Damage

Finally, your contractor will attempt to estimate the extent of the damage. They may not count every individual hailstone strike but will instead "sample" your roof by counting the number of impacts within a particular area. Since hail damage distribution is relatively uniform, this approach provides a reasonable estimate for the total number of hits.

The severity and the extent of the damage will determine the best way to remedy the problem. It may be necessary to replace the entire roof, especially if the damage is widespread and more severe than simple shingle loss. Replacing your hail-damaged roof will restore its appearance and ensure that you don't suffer from even more damaging leaks in the future.

For more information about roof replacement or repair after a hail storm, contact a local roofing company.

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