As the calendar turns, time passes, and spring of the year transitions into a summer season the chances for afternoon pop-up thunderstorms and potentially severe weather increases significantly. Mother Nature is unpredictable and damage caused by her various weather elements can unfortunately come in many different forms. Wind, rain, snow, lightning and hail all have the potential for causing damage to one’s home or office and while all can be dangerous – one is more likely to significantly impact a wider range of properties when it occurs.
Hail, which is frozen droplets or formations of rain, typically occurs during severe thunderstorms if the correct conditions permit. These frozen formations can be like rocks of various sizes falling from the sky and depending on their exact diameter may cause damage, sometimes significant, to both homes and especially automobiles left subject to exposure from the elements.
According to weather.com, hail can range in measurable size from that of a penny (approximately ¾ of an inch) to softball (3.8 inches) or even CD/DVD sized (4 ¾ inch) hail. Obviously, the impact of these different ranges in formation will vary but almost any significant amount, regardless of size or shape, has the potential to cause significant damage, especially to a structure’s roof.
Following a hail storm, damage to a roof may not immediately be noticeable for an owner without gathering the assistance of an expert opinion. Many factors contribute to the potential damage caused and ensuring your roof remains in top shape will be important for the future of your structure. At times, damage from hail will not cause an immediate problem but left untreated has the potential for causing numerous issues moving forward into the future.
Further, most insurance companies have a policy in place to assist in the repair of a hail damaged roof but they will almost certainly require the assistance of an expert in the field, in addition to a complete and thorough examination and report to qualify for roof replacement or the coverage of repair costs. These inspections must also occur within a given time frame from the date of occurrence which, in turn, can require immediate action following any potential damage caused by a hail storm.
Identifying hail damage to your roof is important and must be done to ensure the viability of the structure into the future. While normal wear and tear from exposure to the elements will occur on any building, specific hail damage can at times reflect these deficiencies and the two must be separated in order to determine if your roof is in need of repair or replacement.
Think there is a chance that your roof has been subject to recent hail damage? There are a number of Arvada Roofing hail damage facts to consider. These will aid in making sure that your roof is receiving the appropriate amount of observation to determine the next steps in fixing your property.
As stated, the damage will likely not be evident from the ground so an inspector will need to access your roof and look closely at the shingles for any potential damage. Different types of shingles (typically wooden or asphalt composition) will reflect the damage differently due to their make-up, construction, and installation method. Wooden shingles may split or break due to the impact of hail stones while a composition roof could lose much of the protective layer of granules which can then expose the underlying layer in construction or create soft spots that could disintegrate over time causing further issues.
Surprisingly, hail damage usually does not cause an immediate leak despite its occurrence during a rain storm and will instead create issues which may become a factor years later. Unless the storm is especially severe or the hail extremely large, most roofs will not succumb to hail damage through penetration which would cause an immediate leak and significant problem but instead the combination of damage to a shingle and then exposure to continued weather elements will cause the roof structure to fail over time. For this reason, ensuring a proper inspection of your roof following any size hail storm can be beneficial in the long-run of protecting your investment, home and family.
The underlying components of a roof are often similar in color to the observable side seen from the ground making identifying any areas of damage even more difficult. The loss of the granules on a shingle can be caused by a variety of measures and some deterioration will occur over the normal life expectancy of a roof. These different causes of asphalt shingle granule loss should be taken into consideration if you suspect the roof of your home to have been damaged by hail to ensure a correct cause of the damage in question.
Often, if the damage pattern appears random then the cause will ultimately be hail damage if the potential for such a diagnosis exists. Associated with Mother Nature herself, the unpredictability of weather and how a hail storm will affect a roof structure are difficult to predict and discern. However, if your neighborhood has recently experienced a severe weather event with hail of any size, it is always a good practice to have your roof inspected to ensure it remains a quality structure keeping everything safe, dry and protected underneath.
Backed by decades of experience, Arvada Roofing and Construction has been providing quality roof construction and repair throughout the Denver area for nearly 20 years. If you find yourself in need of a professional review and analysis of the current state for your roof, regardless of potential hail damage, we are here to help. Equipped with an amazing staff to handle any roofing job, no matter the size, our company will work to ensure you are pleased with both the design choice and end result of any roofing related project. Providing roofing services of all types in addition to siding and seamless gutters, we are ready to assist. Contact us today online or call 303-432-2753 for your free estimate!