How Hail Can Damage Your Roof
Whether you have shakes or shingles on your roof, a heavy hail storm can result in serious damages. These damages can cause water leaks that will seep into your interior walls and ceilings and cause even more damages. Many homeowners ask what they can do to prevent a hail damaged roof, and how severe does the storm have to be for there to be a concern?
How Severe Does the Storm Have to be to Cause a Hail Damaged Roof?
A hail storm can bring about pebbles of ice in various sizes. The larger the hail, the more damage you will see. Hail can form in tiny pebbles or up to softball size. A hail damaged roof most often occurs when hail is golf ball size, but it can also destroy or dent your roof when it’s smaller depending on its shape and density. There is also the speed factor to consider as when the hail falls fast, it develops enough power to cause a hail damaged roof.
Climate changes are impacting a lot of major storms as they are creating larger sized stones. These larger stones are responsible for punching holes in asphalt shingles. The age of your roof has no bearing on if or what type of damage happens. A hail damaged roof can happen to brand-new homes as well as one that is years old.
Types of Hail Damaged Roof
There are three different ways a hail storm can damage your roof.
- Create leaks
- The first type of damage is to your top layer of shingles when the hail tears into the asphalt shingle. The hail rips off the protection and allows water to seep through and into your roof deck.
- Shingle mat cracks
- The second type of damage occurs when the hail falls fast and densely. When this type of storm happens, the hail can crack the mat of your asphalt shingles. These cracks will result in water leaking through. These cracks are not immediately visible from a distance, but small crescent-shaped lines will appear when inspected closely.
- Bruised shingles
- A hail damaged roof will occur when the size of the hail is small and it bruises the upper layer of your shingles. The hail will push asphalt granules down into your shingles. Once these granules become lodged underneath, the shingles are then exposed to UV rays and rain. Over time the shingles begin to deteriorate and not able to be repaired. The hail damaged roof is then susceptible to leaks. The leaks will begin appearing six to twelve months after the bruising occurs.
Most of the hail damaged roof problems are not visible immediately after a storm. You should schedule a professional inspection of your roof with Prime Time Roofing if your area experienced a hail storm to ensure the health of your shingles.
How to Avoid a Hail Damaged Roof
You cannot predict the weather so it is nearly impossible to sufficiently protect your roof from severe winds or hail. Your best proactive effort is to make sure your roof stays in good condition. When you schedule a roof inspection following severe weather in your area, you can catch any small incidents that occurred to your shingles before they become a significant problem.
Other incidents can occur which compromise the quality of your shingles. Having an annual inspection of your roof is an excellent step in protecting your home’s roof.
How Can Help With a Hail Damaged Roof?
Prime Time Roofing offers roofing solutions in the Douglas County area. We service the entire front range and are licensed as far south as Pueblo, Colorado Springs, as far north as Fort Collins, and everywhere in between, Denver, Parker, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Aurora, Thornton, Westminster, Arvada, etc. With the use of the latest technology, our experts will provide you the best advice, solutions, and service to help you maintain a healthy roof over your head and your family. With our excellent work ethics and affordable, guaranteed services, you can trust our professionals to install and maintain your home’s roof.