Your roof can take a real pounding during a hail storm. Unfortunately, your roofing shingles are likely to fall victim to the worst of the damage. That’s because hail can fall at high speeds and when the pellets become the size of rocks, those heavy ice balls can pack a serious wallop upon impact.
Hail damage is no laughing matter as it can cause substantial destruction to important components of your home. These impacts may not be so readily apparent upon first glance. In some instances, the damage can manifest itself over an extended period of time.
Let’s face it, hail can be a serious impediment to the home and roofing shingles in particular. That’s why it’s important to know how hail affects your shingles and what to do about the problem should something arise.
How Hail Develops
It’s not a peculiar phenomenon but some folks may wonder how golf ball size ice rocks can suddenly begin plummeting from the sky above and smashing down on your home.
The root cause involves updrafts of air that cycle through storm clouds. During the storm, raindrops, ice crystals, particulate, and other foreign objects can get scooped up by these updrafts and when they enter the upper portions of the cloud, where the temperatures are below freezing, those various objects can start to develop an outer layer of ice.
If they’re still light enough, those small pellets might continue to cycle through the cloud on those same updrafts, gathering more outer layers of icy matter until the hail stone is too heavy to continue riding those air currents.
When that happens, look out below. Hail is coming and it’s not pulling any punches.
Your roofing shingles may take the brunt of that damage in harsh weather, especially when hail is hitting your home. You may get lucky and sustain little to no damage, but there are times when that hail can get to be the size of golf balls and you may find that your shingles have taken some abuse.
Trouble is, some manufacturer’s warranties don’t cover hail damage, so check your warranty to find out if you are covered in the event a hail storm hits your home.
Here are some of the ways that hail can affect your roofing shingles and tips on what to do after. If any of these signs are apparent on your home, search for roofers Atlanta who can help fix the problem. You don’t want damaged shingles to stay on your roof for long.
Checking For Damage
The most obvious signs of damage are typically visible in the form of dents or cracks that have been caused by the hail stones impacting the shingle.
But the damage may not be immediately apparent at first glance. So check some of the surrounding areas where dents and other impacts may be more visible. Some of these may include the siding, windows, gutters, air conditioner units, and so on.
Do keep in mind, just because there isn’t any immediately visible damage on the shingles doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t some damage. Hail stones hitting the shingles may lead to latent damage that might result in excessive wear and tear of the shingle, shortening its life span. So just because they aren’t cracked or broken on the surface doesn’t mean they aren’t being worn out prematurely.
Typical Forms Of Damage
Shingles that have been exposed to falling hail can show a variety of different types of damage. Some of it minor, others can be quite significant.
Granule Loss
One of the ways that your shingles can be damaged for the long term is through the loss of surface granules that can expose the asphalt coating underneath . This will make the shingle less stable and more likely to age quicker. Granule loss might be repaired by restoring some of the loose granules to the surface, a process known as sugaring, but this may not ultimately save the damaged shingle.
Fiberglass Mat Damage
If hail stones hit the shingle hard enough, it could be damaging enough to the granule surface so as to break it from the fiberglass mat in the shingle. If that has occurred, more hail stones impacting the shingle could also result in the fiberglass mat itself getting torn and broken.
Cracked Granule-Asphalt Surface
These are usually obvious from first glance and these fractures will be noticeable from the point of impact. This type of damage might mean you have fiberglass mat problems as well.
Seal Strip Damage
The hail stones have damaged the seals of the shingle and this could put your roof at risk of having the affected shingles blown off in the next strong wind.