Asphalt Roof Shingle Storm Or Hail Damage Identificationhail Damage Types Causes Identification Photographs Claims
- about Roof Shingle Hail Damage & how Hail Damage is Distinguished from Blistering, Foot Traffic, or Other Roof Wear, & about Roof Inspection Procedures
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Hail damage to asphalt roofing:
This article tells readers how to identify roof shingle hail damage and how to distinguish a hail damaged roof from blister rash damage, foot traffic damage, wind, and other conditions such as shingle rash blistering, cracking, and granule loss associated with normal shingle aging.
We include photographs and text that help identify different types of roof damage and wear, and we discuss up-close examination of wear areas to improve the accuracy of roof damage or wear diagnosis. We explain the role of hailstone size, direction, and velocity in roof damage from hailstorms, and we discuss the role of roof slope or pitch, orientation and other factors in roof wear.
We also include a set of codes that can be used in marking areas of wear or damage on roofs to assist in photo documentation of roof condition. The article includes a list of manufacturers of hail-damage resistant roofing products and invites questions or comments from building owners, roofing experts, insurance company adjusters and roofing manufacturers.
We also provide an ARTICLE INDEX for this topic, or you can try the page top or bottom SEARCH BOX as a quick way to find information you need.
The Homeowners Guide To Hail Roof Damage
Winter is a time of stress for many homeowners. The risk of frozen pipes, ice dams, and other snow-related problems are always a risk. Yet there is one type of winter weather you might not have given much thought to hail.
Unlike snow, hail attacks your home as chunks of ice, varying in both size and velocity. Your windows are the most obvious risk during a hailstorm, but it can also damage your roof. This can mean costly repairs, especially if you dont catch the damage early.
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There Is A One Year Time Limit For Filing An Insurance Claim
The time limit for filing claims should be stated in your policy. It is better to double check your policy than to make an assumption about how much time the insurance company gives you to file a claim.
If the hail storm was severe enough that there is damage to many homes in a large geographic area, the insurance company could extend the deadline for filing a claim.
However, you should still file a claim as soon as possible. Waiting could arouse suspicion with the insurance company that you are just trying to get money and your home did not sustain damage.
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How To File A Home Insurance Claim For Roof Hail Damage
The dwelling, other structures, and personal property coverage portions of your home insurance cover damage caused by hail, so if a flurry of two-inch hail stones puncture holes in the siding or roof of your house or garage, be sure to file a claim with your insurer immediately to be reimbursed for the damages. To file a fast and effective hail damage claim, do the following:
What Does Hail Damage Look Like On Shingles
Hail affects various roofing materials differently. Whether your installation is made from metal, asphalt, slate, clay or concrete, hail damage can alter tiles, shakes and shingles in unique ways. A repair to your roof is in order if you or our roofing team notice signs of damage:
- Hail damage to asphalt shingles: Architectural and three-tab asphalt shingles may break, crack or show abrasions following a storm. With repeated exposure to hail, granule layers weaken over the long term.
- Hail damage to slate shingles: These shingles are made from metamorphic rock. Hail may cause sections of slate shingles to crack, chip or come loose.
Since your roofs integrity may be compromised, you may want to act quickly. When hail is driven by strong winds, even small hail may cause severe damage to your roof, along with the loss of protective granules. This can greatly reduce your roofs lifetime. Damaged granule layers can expose your shingles to the suns UV rays, quickly causing serious deterioration.
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Review Your Insurance Terms And Conditions
Remember, you can only claim benefits you are due. If you want to know which benefits these are, youll need to review your policy terms and conditions.
Although rare If you have a roof-exclusive insurance policy, then it is possible you have a complete set of benefits for any roofing damages including coverage for roof and roof support structure hailstorm damages.
On the other hand, a general property insurance policy can only provide general roof damage insurance. In some cases, your terms and conditions might indicate a fixed amount to support your roof repair or replacement needs after a hailstorm.
Question: What About Other Roof Products That Are More Resistant To Hail Damage
Why are there no concrete roof tile products mentioned under hail resistant roofing? Are they not more durable than asphalt shingles? Robert Joseph 7/10/12
Reply:
Robert, we agree that concrete roof tiles are more hail resistant than thinner softer products such as asphalt shingles. This article is about recognizing hail damage to asphalt shingles and distinguishing hail damage from other types of asphalt roof wear such as granule loss, blistering, foot traffic, cracking, & c.
The issue of distinguishing hail from other wear on concrete roof tiles has not arisen, though I speculate that in extreme cases such as baseball sized hail that occurs in some locales, all roof materials, including concrete, tile, slate and stone can suffer damage as well. See Hail Damage Resistant Roofing Products.
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Important Things You Need To Know About Roof Hail Damage Insurance Claims
In states like Texas and Colorado, its not uncommon to get hail the size of golf balls or larger, which can lead to plenty of hail-related insurance claims. These large hailstorms can create thousands of hail damage insurance claims in a single area, overwhelming your insurance company and its adjusters, making the hail damage claim process long and complicated.
Today, were talking about one of the most common hail damage insurance claims: roof hail damage. Was your homes roof damaged in a hail storm? Does your business need a new roof after being damaged by hail? Here are the most important things you need to know about filing a hail damage insurance claim.
Advantages Of Metal Roofs
Metal roofs offer many benefits, including:
- Longevity. Metal roofs can last 40-70 years, depending on the material. Traditional asphalt roofing materials have an estimated life expectancy of roughly 12-20 years.
- Durability. If installed correctly, some metal roofs can sustain wind gusts up to 140 miles per hour, will not corrode or crack and may be impact-resistant . In addition, metal roofs dont need the periodic costly maintenance that other roofing materials often require. However, they should be inspected periodically to make sure no repairs are required.
- Safety. Metal roofs will not spark and ignite into flames during a wildfire or lightning strike.
- Energy efficiency. Metal roofs reflect the suns UV and infrared light rays that contribute to roof surface radiant heat, which can result in a 10-25% reduction in cooling costs.
- Environmentally friendly. Metal roofs not only have 25-95% recycled content, depending on the material used, but are also 100% recyclable at the end of their life as a roof. In contrast, most shingle tear-off waste ends up as part of the building-related waste stream up to 20 billion pounds per year.
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Do Not File A Claim For Roof Damage Unless You Can See The Damage
Some people wrongly assume that there was no damage if they do not see missing shingles. However, shingles are usually taken off a roof by wind, not hail. This is why insurance companies do not use missing shingles as an identifying criteria for hail damage.
Hail damage to the roof is often difficult to see from the ground. This is why you should have your roof inspected by an insurance adjuster who is trained to identify hail damage. An inspection by a roofer is not good enough because these people are usually not trained on identifying hail damage.
It is better to have an inspection than to assume there is no roof damage. If you are wrong, the damage could lead to leaks or other problems down the road and you might not be able to obtain insurance compensation for the damage that occurs.
Will Insurance Cover My Windshield Damaged By Hail
In some cases, your insurance company may waive the deductible on the glass damage portion of your comprehensive insurance. It’s common for insurers to waive the deductible if the windshield is being repaired instead of replaced. And, depending on the state, you may have the option to buy full glass coverage separately from your comprehensive, which would pay to fix hail damaged windshields.Our guide to windshield coverage explains glass repair coverage in more detail.
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Why Be Concerned About Slight Indentations
If its a low pitched roof, you may find you have significant indentations in the pans. This can lead to an accumulation of dirt and also ponding. This is where water collects in small pools typically on roofs. Ultimately the combination of dirt build-up and water can cause corrosion over time.
In addition if the hail storm has been particularly strong, then your sheet overlaps may well have come under attack and significantly bent out of shape. As a result the anti-capillary effect the way in which water easily flows off the roof down specified channels, may be lost. As a result any subsequent water can easily absorb underneath the sheeting and cause further corrosion.
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What Does Hail Damage Look Like On A Roof
Most of the time, hail damage isnt easy to see. You may not see actual indentations or holes in the roof. When it comes to hail damage, even many roofing contractors dont know what to look for.
If your siding or vehicles are damaged or your neighbors are replacing their roofs, your roof has more than likely sustained hail damage too.
And if your siding or vehicles are damaged or your neighbors are replacing their roofs, your roof has more than likely sustained hail damage too. This is an easy way to look for hail damage without having to peer up at or get on your roof. The air conditioning unit and windows are other places to look for hail damage. Wooden decks can also be great places to observe damage, as stained decks could leave the patterns of hail and chips in the framework. Examine your roof as well as the area outside of your home for more signs of hail damage.
You can use this evidence as a good starting point to identify hail damage, but for a more thorough and professional perspective, you should consult with professional hail damage roofing contractors. They can help to really identify where the damage originated and use their expertise to give you confidence about the damage of your shingles.
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What To Do Following Storm Damage
Its tough to know whats worse, the storm damage itself or what follows after. Many of you have gone through ithunkered in the basement hoping a tornado doesnt drop when all of a sudden you hear something that sounds like golf balls slamming into your house. But you dont live near a golf course. Is your car outside? How is the roof holding up? Did a tree just snap? Was that breaking glass?
When the last wave of awful weather finally passes and youre out inspecting the damage, the first wave of storm-chasers starts to hit. In some cases, they are knocking on your door before the last raindrops have stopped. They have been driving around, listening to the radio, and getting hail reports sent to their phone. They have been cheering for the largest hail possible and this could be the storm they have been waiting for! Heres what to look for and what to avoid in the multi-billion dollar game that is storm damage restoration. Here are the signs you need to replace your roof.
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Additional Notes Of Caution For Home And Building Owners
CARBON MONOXIDE RISKS CAUSED BY DAMAGING HAIL
If youve been hit by large hail we caution homeowners to check for damaged ventilation caps on your furnace/chimney. Contractors have been coming across damaged Type B Vents. Type B vents are basically exhaust pipes for gas furnaces and water heaters. Large hail can flatten or dislodged the vent cap lids, causing them to collapse and block the ventilation pipes opening and greatly reducing the ability of the vent to purge carbon monoxide. If you are concerned about potential dangers, check your vent caps right away or call a licensed heating and air conditioning contractor to come check it. Above all else, ensure that you have properly functioning carbon monoxide detectors in your home. These are just as important as smoke detectors.
BEWARE OF IMPROPER ROOF VENTILATION AFTER A REPAIR
Roof repairs arent usually a problem for many contractors, but what some new or uneducated roofing contractors dont know is that by moving the vent stacks on the roof, they can unintentionally cause a carbon monoxide leak, which can be a hidden danger after a roof repair. It is possible for a roofer to unknowingly cause the portion of the vent pipes he cannot see in the attic to come apart when he works on or near the exposed section of the pipes above the roof line. Sometimes these pipes are only loosely connected and will detach with just slight vibration.
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What Does Hail Damage Do To A Roof
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Considering this, how does hail damage affect a roof?
When hail hits, it can damage the roof or covering of your home as well as other personal property. Although hailstorms can be destructive, the amount of damage can vary greatly. For example, hail can cause dings in aluminum siding, gutters or asphalt shingles, whereas it can crack vinyl siding or wood shakes.
Additionally, what do you do if your roof has hail damage? If you think you may have roof hail damageDo not call your insurance company and file a claim yet. Contact a professional, local roofing company and ask for a hail damage roof inspection. Your roofer can provide a detailed inspection to help you determine whether your roof has enough damage to warrant a claim.
Herein, how can you tell if your roof has hail damage?
The 3 major signs of hail damage include bruising, cracking and granules missing from asphalt. Check for missing pieces in the asphalt of the roof. Look for areas on the shingle that have exposed, black substrate. This means the granules of the asphalt have been compromised or knocked off by something.
How much does insurance pay for hail damage on roof?
Your insurance company might offer to pay just $10,000 to repair your hail–damaged roof, despite the fact that your roofing contractor has estimated repairs of $30,000.
It Was The Other Storms Fault
In the spring of 2016, the Spring, Texas area experienced a wind and hail storm that damaged the roof and exterior of our clients home. Our clients, one a 40-year plus emergency room nurse, filed a homeowners insurance claim with their insurer who sent out an adjuster who wrote the damage off as minimal and failed to cover the damage to the roof. The adjuster claimed the roof damage was less than $1000 and under the deductible, even though other houses in the neighborhood received new roofs due to the wind and hail damage. Our clients trusted the results the insurance company provided them with and did not pursue any action after the initial insurance claim denial.
Then came Hurricane Harvey a year later and the roof leaks that followed. Our clients filed another homeowners insurance claim to which their insurance company responded by sending out another adjuster, who came back telling them the roof leaks were a result of previous damage and/or wear and tear, not the storm. That meant the insurance company most likely misrepresented the scope of damages during the first claim back in 2016. Having experience with one denied homeowners insurance claim already, our clients called us to take their case. Our own third-party adjuster concluded the damage from the hailstorm in 2016 that went unrepaired was exacerbated by Hurricane Harvey and ultimately the fault of the insurance company for not fixing the repairs before the hurricanes impact.
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Which Raleigh Roofing Contractor Should I Hire
Find a local Raleigh hail damage roof repair contractor who can help with the process of filing your hail damage roof insurance claim. The repair cost for your home is determined by your contractor and your insurance company.
At Scros Roofing, we have successfully completed hundreds of roofing repairs in Raleigh. We have been serving the Raleigh area since 1995, and we have experience working with insurance providers to replace your storm-damaged roof and gutters.
Our goal is to provide the best experience possible for our customers, resulting in 100% customer satisfaction. Through every step of the process, our focus is on you. We provide full-service commercial roofing and residential roofing solutions. Our roofs are square because we do not cut corners. Turn to us for:
You deserve a trained professional to represent you. Weve had years of experience helping the Raleigh area with hail damage roof insurance claims. Contact us at Scros Roofing Company today for a free estimate or to learn more about roof insurance claims.
Filed Under: Danny’s ThoughtsTagged With: fuquay varina hail, hail damage roof, holly springs hail, roofing hail damage, willow springs hail
Which States Are The Most Vulnerable To Wind And Hail Damage
The following states experienced the most hail loss claims from 2017â2019 , according to the Insurance Information Institute. If you live in any of these states or anywhere that experiences frequent hailstorms, be sure to get your roof inspected twice a year and check with your insurer to see how hail damage is covered in your policy.
| State |
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| 58,342 |
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