There is more at stake than the possibility of hail damage to your vehicle during an Indianapolis storm. Hail can damage the protective layer of your home, creating vulnerabilities and leaks in your roof that can lead to even more pricy damage.
Hail damage can look cosmetic, yet be more serious than it looks. When roof shingles become broken, bruised, or punctured and asphalt shingles start to lose their granules, serious complications can result.
Let’s take a closer look at what happens to your roof when hail damages it.
Hail Storms 101
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice—or hailstones. It is supercooled water, refrozen in the atmosphere before falling back to the ground as an ice ball, and it can cause severe damage.
The impact of hail on your roof differs based on the hail’s size, wind speed, wind direction, roofing material, roofing age, and the slope of your roof.
The size of hailstones can impact the degree of damage to your roof and overall property.
- Quarter-size hailstones may damage the plants around your home.
- Half-dollar-size hailstones cause minor damage to most roofing and can crack your siding.
- Walnut-size hailstones cause severe roof damage and can dent wood.
- Golf ball-size hailstones cause exterior paint damage and dents in vehicles.
- Tennis ball-size hailstones break car windows and damage crops.
What hail damage on your roof looks like
The problem with hail damage is that it’s not always easy to spot. When it is noticeable, it appears as dents or dings on your roof shingles. You may spot splatter marks on your roof vents, gutters, or roof flashing—indicating hail damage.
Hail damage may show up in other places in your home—indicating damage on your roof
There may be hail damage on your downspout that looks like dings or small dents. Holes in your window screens and dings on your electric meter, AC unit, or grill can also indicate there is hail damage on your roof.
Other Signs of Roof Hail Damage
It causes a loss of granules on your asphalt shingles
After a storm, if there is a pile of granules that look like they were flushed out of your downspout and onto the ground, your asphalt shingles are weakening.
Granules look like large pieces of sand and make up the top layer of your asphalt shingles. When hail damage causes them to separate from your roof, it causes the asphalt coating to be exposed to the elements, leading to faster aging of your roof.
Hail can crack your roof shingles
When hail hits your roof with force, it can cause your roof shingles to crack and eventually break. Bare spots can result, making your roof vulnerable to leaks.
It can cause roof shingles to break away from the mat under them
There is a fiberglass mat under your roof shingles, and a severe hailstorm can cause the surface of your asphalt shingles to shatter and separate from the mat below them.
Hail can cause your roof shingles to come off
The combination of hail and high winds can cause the seal of your asphalt shingles to weaken. The result? Your roof shingles blow off, leaving your home exposed to the elements.
It causes your roof to leak
When your roof shingles are damaged, their integrity is permanently compromised, leading to roof leaks.
What to Do After Storms Hit
It’s important to inspect your roof after any storm. This can be done easily from the safety of the ground with binoculars if you walk across the street. Your homeowner’s insurance should cover storm damage, so the first thing you should do if you suspect hail damage is to contact your insurance company.
An inspector will take a detailed look at your home and assess the damage. It’s important to rely on the pros to assess roof damage from severe storms. Hail damage may be obvious, or it may be obscure and hard to detect.
A Reliable Roof for Your Peace of Mind
If your roof is getting old, don’t risk the possibility of experiencing costly leaks.
At Craftsman Exterior Remodeling, we create winning solutions by installing only quality products—the right way, the first time.
Take a moment to learn more about our storm damage repair services.
