How to Inspect Your Roof for Hail Damage
Summer in Colorado oftentimes means late afternoon thunderstorms and hail. While pea-sized hail is unlikely to do any damage, hail 1” in diameter (quarter-sized) and larger can be detrimental to your roof. If you’ve recently had a storm roll through your area with decent-sized hail, you may be curious to know if there was any hail damage to your roof. Depending on the extent of the damage, you may need some repairs.
There are a few things you need to think about before assessing your hail damage roof. Firstly, you need to ensure that you are safe. That is why hail damage roof assessments are often left to experienced professionals. Secondly, you must know there may not be damage to just your roof, but also to gutters and downspouts. That’s a good place to start when assessing the damage. It’s important to check roof elements such as chimneys and roof vents, as well.
What Hail Can Do to Your Roof
Hail can do a lot to damage your roof. Not only can it damage the roof itself, but it can also damage roof elements like vents, chimneys, skylights, gutters, and more. A hail damage roof can be compromised depending on the extent of the damage. Hail damage to your roof can cause things like:
- Loss of protective shingle granules
- Cracks in shingles
- Exposed sub-surface materials
- Weakened seals
All of these things can lead to leaks in your roof, or worse. That’s why it’s important to be on top of the damage so that you get it assessed and repaired before it becomes a major issue.
Inspecting Your Roof for Hail Damage
Once you understand what hail damage can look like and the effects it may have on your home, you can start to inspect your hail damage roof. However, if you are uncertain about the safety of your inspection or are unsure how much damage was caused, it’s a good idea to call a professional. Here is how to inspect your roof for hail damage:
Safety First
Before you get up on your roof, we want to remind you that safety should be your first priority. Plan on wearing soft-soled shoes or roofing boots for safe walking on your roof. Always check that your ladder is in perfect working condition and bring some chalk to mark up any damaged areas. Never go up on your roof alone, always have someone outside with you!
Start With Obvious Damage
By looking for damage to gutters and downspouts, you can bet that your roof sustained some damage, too. Make your way around your home to take inventory of damage on some of those items. You may also look for damage to window sills, siding, and even your air conditioner.
Inspect the Roof Features
Once you’ve inspected damage around the roof, it’s time to get on the roof. In addition to the roof itself, it’s also important to inspect roof features on your hail damage roof that may have also been impacted. Check all of the features that could have sustained damage, like roof vents, chimneys, and skylights.
For hard to inspect areas like chimney covers, or other places where the damage isn’t obvious, there is an easy solution. Bring a stick of chalk up to the roof with you. Turn your chalk sideways and run it over the surface. This will show you where there are dents and divots, thus uncovering hail impact points.
Inspect the Shingles
Hail damage to shingles isn’t always completely obvious. Figuring out the extent of the damage usually takes a trained eye. However, if you are choosing to inspect the damage yourself, here is what to look for:
- Obvious dents or divots
- Random round impact areas
- Dark-colored circles
- Areas where granules have been knocked off the shingle
If granules have been knocked off a shingle, this means that the hail has compromised the integrity of the shingle. This can cause leaks can develop over time. Circle each impact spot that you find with chalk to keep track of the extent of the damage.
When to Call a Professional
It is important to understand that roof inspection and repair are not things that can always be safely and easily done by anyone. Roofing professionals are trained and experienced in inspecting damaged roofs, assessing the damage, and coming up with an appropriate plan for repair. Whether a single shingle is damaged, or the entire roof and its features have been compromised by hail, it’s best to leave the assessment to experienced professionals.
How B&M Roofing Can Help
B&M Roofing has been in the business of repairing roofs since its inception in 1947. We specialize in roof analysis, leak identification, preventative maintenance, repair, and more. We even offer emergency repairs for when your roof has been seriously compromised by harsh Colorado storms.
Once you’ve done some hail damage inspection of your own, it’s time to call in some experts to take a second look to determine what your next step will be. The roofing experts at B&M Roofing are happy to provide you a free estimate after a hail storm. You can contact us by calling or by submitting a free estimate request online!
