How to Tell if Your Roof Has Hail Damage?

How to Tell if Your Roof Has Hail Damage? Cat 6 Roofing & Construction is the authority on roof hail storm damage. Schedule an appointment now at (407) 306-0100. Thanks for taking a moment to read this blog article – we hope you enjoy it.

Understanding Hail Storms in Florida

Hailstorms continue to increase in frequency and intensity in the United States, especially in Florida. Just in 2019, more than 7.1 million U.S properties experienced damage from one or more hail events. And in 2020 alone, the NOAA Severe Weather Database documented 4,590 large hail events. As the first line of defense against Mother Nature’s wrath, a roof must be able to protect your home from the elements, hail included.

Hailstones in Florida typically range in size from pea-sized to quarter-sized, with occasional instances of golf ball-sized hail reported during severe storms. The largest hailstone ever recorded in Florida was 4.5 inches.

So, how does icy hail fall from the sky on a hot Florida day?

It all has to do with the updrafts inside a thunderstorm. Hail forms when thunderstorm updrafts carry water droplets high into the atmosphere, where temperatures are below freezing. Strong updrafts carry water high in the atmosphere.

Hailstorms are most common in Florida. Normally, between late May through June is the period when severe storms are most likely. Hail, damaging winds, and waterspouts are common, in addition to heavy rainfall and frequent lightning. Key in mind that there’s no guaranteed way to tell whether a thunderstorm will produce hail, but some indications are heavy rain, strong winds, changes in wind direction, and sudden temperature drops.

So, what does hail damage mean for your roof?

Sometimes it is easy to identify signs of hail damage on a roof, such as missing shingles, cracked tiles, and dented metal; however, hailstorm damage is frequently left unreported because the homeowner doesn’t see any clear signs of harm.

After the storm, give us a call for a professional hail inspection, which we highly recommend. While homeowners can complete an initial inspection by walking around the property and looking for obvious signs of hail damage, our highly trained roofing contractors are experienced with identifying problems above and below the surface of your roof.

Below are some things to think about and also ways to identify hail damage and when to call us, your local preferred hail damage roof repair contractor.

What size hail damages a roof? It depends on the roofing material and the age of the roof. Hail typically needs to be the size of a golf ball before it is capable of breaking through a roof exterior. But if there are high winds along with the hail, or if the storm lasts longer than a few minutes, even small hail can cause damage to a roof.

In Florida, many homes have shingle roofs installed. Storms can greatly reduce the life of roof by removing protective granules of a shingle. Without the granules, the shingles are exposed to UV rays from the sun, which can deteriorate the shingles and shorten the roof’s life over time.

How to Tell If My Roof Has Hail Damage. | How to Tell if Your Roof Has Hail Damage? | Cat6 Roofing and Construction

Wait until the storm is over to check for signs of damage on your roof. Some signs of destruction are identifiable from the ground, such as dents in gutters and downspouts, air conditioners, decks, and siding. Other damages are harder to identify and either require getting on the roof or hiring a trained professional. Please note, it is not safe to climb on the roof after a storm – that is why you should a trained professional look at the top of your roof.

Different roofing materials will exhibit damage from hail in varying ways. Below are some of the common identifying symptoms of hail on the most popular roofing materials:

Metal Roofs – Hail can cause dents in the metal panels, vents and flashing. The seams can tear or peel, and white marks are often left from where the hail chipped the roof coating.

Composition and asphalt shingles – Granule loss, cracks in the shingles and shiny or black impact marks are common after a hailstorm. The fiberglass mat can be exposed or fractured. Sometimes, shingles will bruise or have cracks that radiate out from the impact site of the hail.

Clay and concrete tiles – Chipped, broken, or shattered tiles are often the result of a hailstorm. Tiles can also be broken at the edges, gouged, and have star-shaped fractures from where the hail struck.

Wood shingles – Wood will commonly split or crack down the middle of the shingle when damaged by hail, which can be identified by looking for red or orange splits in the shingle. Naturally, red wood will eventually turn gray on the outside due to weathering and oxidation, so when the shingle splits, the natural color of the shingle is exposed. The shingles can also be dented or have splatter marks on the wood.

What to Expect From a Hail-Damaged Roof Inspection

If your roof suffers from hail damage, a roof inspection is always necessary. After a severe storm, many homeowners will call an insurance adjuster. It’s highly recommended that you get a second opinion from a roofing professional. Oftentimes, our experienced roofing contractor will agree with the findings from the insurance company’s inspection, but they might disagree too.

Our roof damage professionals are trained and experienced to identify roofing issues. For this reason, our team member that is your local roofing professional may find small cracks or lifted shingles that the adjuster overlooked. If we conduct the inspection, you as the homeowner will receive a detailed report of our findings, in addition to a customized plan to repair or replace any of the affected areas.

Here is a list of what we look for during the hail storm damage roof inspection:

• Weakened roof seals
• Tears or holes in the protective cover of the roof
• Split or damaged shingles
• Missing shingles
• Granules were removed from the protective coating
• Tile uplift of more than one inch

How We Tackle Repairs After A Hail Inspection. | How to Tell if Your Roof Has Hail Damage? written by Cat6 Roofing and Construction

After a hailstorm, roof repairs are likely needed. These repairs can be as simple as replacing one shingle and getting dents out of the gutters or reroofing the whole house. This is why it’s important to contact us – Cat 6 Roofing and Construction, your local roofing professional, to perform a hail inspection and complete the repairs.

If the roof suffers extreme damage, it might be time to consider changing roofing materials to a more durable option that will not only protect your home during the next storm, but also improve your home’s energy efficiency.

When we are looking for a roofing material to do roof repair from hail damage. We recommend that it always have a Class 4 rating. A Class 4 Rating is an impact standard used to rate materials such as shingles and metal. The Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a not-for-profit testing organization, provides information that helps consumers make informed decisions about various products.

They developed the UL 2218 Impact Rating to test the impact resistance of roofing materials. Shingles are rated Class 1 through 4, with 4 being the highest resistance and the highest level of protection against hailstorms, which results in lower insurance premiums and lifetime roof costs, in addition to fewer roof repairs and replacements. Schedule an appointment with our team to discuss your home or office’s recent storm damage today at (407) 306-0100.

Thanks for reading “How to Tell if Your Roof Has Hail Damage?” by Cat 6 Roofing and Construction.

We provide continuous support and the highest quality, timely service. We know how to handle roofing jobs for apartments, townhouses, condominiums, businesses, single-family homes, and homeowners’ associations. Replacing or repairing a hailstorm-damaged roof on an property commercial or residential is one of the most challenging projects a quality roofing contractor can perform.

So call us today at (407) 306-0100.

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