How to Identify Hail Damage on Your Roof

Your roof is an essential aspect of your property to consider when it hails. Hail will reduce your roof’s longevity and may necessitate a total residential roof replacement if left unchecked.

However, hail damage on a roof might be difficult to detect if you don’t know where to check. That is why we will describe how hail damage appears on your roof.

Golden Construction provides Minnesota residents with roof claim assistance and counseling through the insurance process. After your claim is granted, we work relentlessly to ensure that your insurance carrier offers you whatever you require for your roof.

We are here to help you better understand what hail damage looks like on a roof, how to recognize it from the ground, and important things to consider before beginning the insurance process.

What exactly is Hail?

Hail is a type of precipitation made up of solid ice that occurs inside thunderstorm updrafts. Hail may cause damage to roofs, buildings, and automobiles, as well as cattle and humans.

The largest hailstone recovered in the United States fell on June 23, 2010, in Vivian, South Dakota, and measured 8 inches in diameter and 18.62 inches in circumference. It weighed 1 pound and 15 ounces.

Minnesota hail storms can create hail from 1/4 in diameter, commonly known as “pea” sized, to 4 1/2 inches in diameter or “grapefruit” size.

What Size Hail Can Damage a Roof?

Minnesota hail 1″ in diameter or larger will cause damage to your roof and necessitate filing an insurance claim. When hail of this size falls, it causes dents and dings in asphalt shingles and jeopardizes the roof’s overall integrity. Any hail that is bigger than that, however, can begin to harm your roof and other surfaces. Hail can cause severe roof damage once it measures 1.5 inches in diameter or is the size of a ping pong ball. Even larger hail, 1.75 inches in diameter (golf ball size), can seriously damage buildings, roofs, and vehicles parked outside.

In addition to size, the speed of the wind also affects how much damage the hail does. Severe winds that frequently accompany hailstorms increase the damage.

Never assume that your home or business is unaffected by hail simply because it appears small. Always take a moment to inspect your property visually.

We highly recommend contacting Golden Construction and requesting a free roof inspection if your home or business is hit by hail.

What Does Hail Damage Look Like on a Roof?

Your roof’s hail damage can be either hard to spot or very noticeable. You will notice dents or dings on your shingles if the hail is sufficiently large (1″ in diameter or larger).

However, just because your roof’s shingles are not torn or severely dented doesn’t mean that hail damage didn’t happen. Dents, dings, and splatter marks on your roof flashing, gutters, roof vents, and other roof penetrations are additional signs of hail damage.

Signs to Check for Hail Damage on Your Home or Business

We don’t advise anyone unfamiliar with safe roof-walking techniques to look for the damage mentioned above.

When your insurance provider sends someone out to inspect it, they are familiar with these techniques, and walking on the roof is not worth the risk of a fall. There are still some signs of hail damage you can look for without getting out a ladder, even if you can’t see your entire roof from the ground.

If you notice one or more of these symptoms, there may be additional hail damage to your roof:

• Vehicles – Dents on the hood and top of your vehicle

• Garage Doors – Your garage door may have dents, dings, or hits.

• Mailbox – Your mailbox and other soft metals on your property have dents.

• Gutters – Dents in gutters along the trim of the house.

• Downspouts – Dents that are above approximately five feet.

• Windows – Cracks or broken windows or torn screens.

• Shutters or Siding – Dings to painted wood, siding, or shutters

• Additional Damage – Grill, air conditioner, or electric meter dings or splatter marks

This above list does not imply that your roof has sustained significant hail damage.

It only helps you determine whether you need to contact a local roofer and then your insurance provider to submit a claim.

Let’s say you do find obvious leaks or roof damage. Emergency roof repair for homes and businesses is just one of the several roofing services offered by Golden Construction.