slide 1: 4 STEPS FOR DETECTING
ROOF HAIL DAMAGE
EFFECTIVELY
slide 2: Introduction
So after a hail storm walk around your house
and follow these 4 determination steps to
detect the damages caused by hailstones and
weather.
Detecting roof hail damage after a hail storm can
be a difficult task. Experts say the best things to
look at when you are trying to determine the
possibility of hail damage are the downspouts
gutters metal vents and roofing shingles.
According to the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes
hail causes more than 1.6 billion worth of damage
in an average year to residential roofs in the
United States making it year in and year out one
of the most costly natural disasters.
slide 3: Check around the downspouts. When hail impacts roofing
shingles it degrades the shingle and tends to knock off the
granules. In most cases this damage cannot be seen by the
untrained eye but if you have standard asphalt shingles on your
house youll want to check around the downspouts for excessive
granule buildup. If evident there is a 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.
1. Look for Mineral Deposits
slide 4: 2. Gutter and
Downspout Dings
Inspect all your 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 the
damage is evident then the
possibility of roof damage does exist.
slide 5: 3. 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 is not discovered until after
leaking or another serious damage occurs. As
damaged shingles degrade your roof may begin to
leak so inspect your interior ceiling after heavy
rain for any apparent water damage. Water
staining anywhere on the ceiling is a good sign of
roof damage.
slide 6: 4. Inspecting for Hail Damage
to Vents and Shingles
Please only do this if you have easy access to your
roof and the slopes are not that steep. Once on
top look at the vents the drip edge the fascia
and your gutters for signs of damage. 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 in an asphalt shingle
roof surface resulting in granule loss and reduced
remaining roof lie.
slide 7: Conclusion
Now its time to take action. If you have 10
hits in a 10ft square or if any of the above
steps result in positive indications call for a
hail damage professional inspection. Most
will provide an estimate for free. Ask each
if they think its enough to warrant getting
your insurance company out. You may
want to call your insurance company
anyway as they make the final
determination and the worst that can
happen is they deny the claim.