Does your roof have hail damage?

Living in Colorado we can expect anything, in regards to the weather, to happen at any time of the year. With the recent hail storms in the area, we must think about the damage it can do to the roofs of our homes. It is important to check for damage. Damage caused by hail can lead to structural deterioration, that then can lead to a leaky roof. If you do suspect hail damage your insurance company may want you to get a professional opinion, from either a licensed contractor or even a home inspector, before they are willing to do anything. Before you call that contractor there a few steps that you can do one your own to determine if there is any damage.

Step 1: Search for damage on the metal. Check metal roof vents, flashing, or metal valleys on the roof to see if there are any dents. Soft metal will show dents, and can also indicate the size of the hail that caused the damage.

Step 2: Set up a ladder in order to get onto your roof and check for damage. Check the ridge cap (picture to the right) for any dents. Since this part is flat is more than likely with receive a direct hit from the storm and show the most damage.

While up on the roof take a look at the shingles. Make sure  that you check the whole shingle for damage. The picture on the left shows you what you are looking for.

Step 3: Try to identify what type of damage was caused by the hail. There are three major signs that include bruising, cracking, and missing granules from asphalt. Look to see if there is any exposed black substrate.  This will indicate that something, such as hail, has knocked the asphalt off. When looking for signs of bruising, check and see if there is a dent in the shingle. Some times they are not visible just by looking for them and you may have to run your hand over the shingles to feel for them. If you do find a dimple press lightly on it to see if it has any give. If so, that means there are signs of shingle deterioration happening. If the hail hits a shingle hard enough you will be able to notice cracking.

If while following these three easy steps you determine that your roof does indeed have hail damage. Then next best step is to call your local roofing contractor or even a home inspector for and your insurance company.