Hailstorms have the potential to do significant damage to a roof. The impact of a hailstone can puncture or shatter roofing shingles, which can result in water damage to your home if not addressed immediately. While it is not always feasible to prevent roof damage from hail, you can help to reduce the degree of the damage by recognizing problems early and taking steps to repair or replace your damaged roof as soon as you can.
How do I know if my roof has been damaged by hail?
It is vital to have your roof inspected following a hailstorm to ensure that there is no damage. Because hail falls quite randomly, it may only cause damage to a few houses within a locality. As a result, your roof may sustain damage even if your neighbor’s roof is fine.
Look for indicators of hail damage in your home garden and on your property, such as the following:
- Damaged plants
- Dented cars
- Damaged HVAC units
- Damage to exterior furniture and structures
Get the professionals to look for hail damage on your roof
It may be hard to detect some types of roof damage from the ground, so you will want to get as near the roof as possible to conduct a thorough check of the structure. We advise that you arrange an inspection with a professional roofing contractor such as West Pacific Roofing to evaluate your roof in a safe and comprehensive manner.
Hail damage to the surface of your roof
The first level of damage you should look for on your roof is damage to the surface of the structure. You may notice the following symptoms of damage to your asphalt shingle roof following a hailstorm if you have an asphalt shingle roof:
- Divots
- Black, round spaces
- Bruises
- Lack of protective granules – these may be found in downspouts and gutters
Hidden hail damage
While the surface of your roof may look fine following a hailstorm, there may be hidden damage, which is why it is a good idea to have the professionals take a look. Some of the damage that may not be immediately apparent includes split shingles. This is only obvious when the back of the shingles are looked at. A skilled roofing contractor will also check for damage to other roofing components, such as flashing, roof vents, skylights, gutters, and chimney caps or coverings, before making a recommendation as to the sort of repairs.
Do you need to repair hail damage to a roof?
If your roof has been damaged by hail, it can be difficult to determine if the damage is purely cosmetic or whether it will have an impact on the roof’s overall performance and longevity. A performance issue with your roofing system should be addressed as soon as possible in order to avoid catastrophic water damage to your home caused by hail.
If hail damage has resulted in granule loss on your roof shingles, this could have an impact on the performance of the shingle as well as its appearance. Asphalt shingles with granules help to preserve the asphalt from degradation caused by ultraviolet light emitted by the sun. While you may not notice a leak in your roof right away, shingles that have lost their granules are at a higher risk of failing sooner rather than later.
If you’re in the Greater Northwest, we’d love to serve you! Our professional roofers and installation specialists in Portland, Vancouver, and Salem serve all of NW Oregon & SW Washington.
