Roof damage by hail is probably one of the worst kinds of damage to your roof. Majorly because of how often it gets overlooked. You can easily find hail damage on your car via a dent or broken window. But you’ll need a trained eye to spot hail damage on your roof.
And just because this damage is small doesn’t mean it’s negligible. It can cause serious structural damage to your property and led to premature failure of your shingle roof.
Below are a few things you can do in order to find roof damage by hail:
1. Inspect the Shingles
Shingles damaged by the hailstorm will appear black or shiny, or they’ll be soft to touch. You might also notice the loss of granules on your roof. If that’s the case, your roof will be directly exposed to the sun becoming vulnerable to UV light degradation.
Damage to shingles can also lead to water leakage during rain and storm.
2. Examine the Gutters
Dents and dimples in the gutter and downspouts are an obvious sign of roof damage by hail. Your gutters can also get clogged by the granules that were shed from the shingles.
3. Broken Fiberglass Underlayment
If the hail hits the shingles forcefully, you’ll find a broken fiberglass mat underneath. This damage is hard to detect by an amateur eye. You’ll need help from a professional to locate fractured fiberglass on your roof.
4. Self-Seal Strip
The seal-seal strip located across the length of the shingle near the midpoint can easily wear out during a hailstorm. This will decrease the wind resistance of your shingles causing them to blow off by even a slight wind movement.
5. Damaged Flashing
Larger hail can damage the metal flashing around roof valleys, vents, chimneys and skylights. You’ll find dents, scratches, or small holes in the damaged area. These open and exposed areas will allow water to seep through resulting in water damage.
Get a Free Inspection to Find Roof Damage by Hail
The extent of hail damage to your roof can vary depending on the size of hail, wind speed, and the age of your roof. And even the smallest damage will cause massive destruction in the future.
Therefore, we’d recommend scheduling a roof inspection with us as soon as you can especially if you have noticed any of the above signs of damage. We’ll help you find and fix the damage or help you file an insurance claim if required.