Hail storms and hail damage causes billions of dollars in damage every year in America. Sometimes hail can be a passing problem of tiny pellets that is just a conversation at dinner. Other times it is an insurance nightmare with hail that can get as large as baseballs. This could cause serious damage to your roof, and significant repairs.
Before you think of that intense insurance phone call, contact a qualified expert like those at https://www.loaconstruction.com to assess the damage so you have more information for them. The problem might not be as bad as it feels, or it could be worse than you think. Learn more about how to recognize hail damage right here.
Types of Hail Damage
Hail damage on a roof can be almost impossible to detect sometimes. There are a number of different types of hail damage, and so you may not know what you are looking for. Some damage is simply cosmetic, and won’t be a significant concern. Damage to the integrity of shingles or the roof will cause serious problems.
These are the most common kinds of hail damage:
• Black dots on the shingles, of various sizes
• Missing granules
• Dented or marked shingles
• Split or torn shingles
The kind of hail damage that you will experience will depend on the size of the hail, what kind of roof you have, how old it is, and factors related to the wind. Wind duration and wind speed are going to determine how badly your roof is damaged after a hail storm, if at all.
Loss of Granules
Granules are the small particles of shingles that look like sandpaper. If granules go missing after a hail storm, you will see the asphalt section of a shingle. This is not just an aesthetics issue, this will age your roof quickly.
Dented, Split, Torn Shingles
Hail does not need to be the size of baseballs in order to cause serious damage. Hail of any size can tear up shingles expose sections of your roof that will be left bare. If you have hail that is coming in at high speeds and from a bad direction, it only takes a few minutes for serious damage to occur.
Black Dots
Black dots on injured shingles can be of various sizes. It won’t necessarily depend on the size of the hail, but the size of the storm. They will look like black dots, and can be large ones the size of a dime or quarter, or they could be almost invisible. These will impact the integrity of the roof as well.
You would see more than one on the roof. Many of your shingles will have these black dots.
Get a Quote
Before you worry about baseballs and black dots, spend some time checking your exterior for signs of hail damage. Check your gutters to see if there are any dents or damages there first. That is often a good indicator that your roof is going to show some problems as well. Call an expert for a quote like https://www.loaconstruction.com/ for help before you call the insurance company. This problem might not be as bad as it seems.