Storm Info: How Hailstorms Can Affect Your Roofing
Of all the severe weather that rolls through North Texas, hailstorms are among the scariest and most damaging. Hailstones come in various shapes and sizes. Some have jagged edges that can leave your roofing shingles in splinters. Others are heavy and dense enough to punch right through your roofing materials. Hail damage can be tricky to detect because it sometimes looks like aged spots rather than storm damage, and some insurance companies might try to get out of paying hail claims for this reason.
When hail pummels your roof, you need a roof restoration company you can trust to make sure the damage is completely repaired and the insurance company covers what they should. Springtree Restoration is here to help with hail damage anywhere in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and across North Texas.
Hail Size
Hail can affect your roof in different ways depending on its size. Texas is the state most affected by hail in all of the US, so we see a wide array of hailstone sizes and shapes. Some hail is as small as green peas, while the largest reported hailstones in Texas were as large as grapefruits! Those fell in 1892, but even smaller hailstones can cause horrific, and even fatal, damage.
When should you be worried? Experts say that pea-sized and marble-sized hail probably won’t damage your roof very much. Anything bigger than that, and you’ll want to get a professional roof inspection after the storm has passed.
Roofing Material
Asphalt shingle roofs are the most common type of roof in America. Unfortunately, they are also the most vulnerable to hail damage. Hailstones fall from a height of about 30,000 feet and hit your roof at 70 miles per hour. It’s no wonder they do so much damage to so many homes.
Wooden shingles are little sturdier, but they, too, can be split by falling hailstones. Concrete tile roofs and flat commercial roofs are more resilient than most. If you have one of the newer metal roofs, it will likely stand up to hailstorms, though it might get dented or pitted.
Signs of Hail Damage
Hail leaves behind various signs of damage on different roofing materials. Asphalt shingle roofs might have indentations or black spots where hailstones hit them. They can also lose granules or even whole shingles that get knocked loose in the storm. Look for bare spots, blackened areas, and cracked or partially missing shingles. If you go up on your roof, feel for soft spots that yield to pressure like a bruise on a piece of fruit.
Wooden shingles can also crack when hit by hail. Their damage tends to be a little more visible because the inside of the shingle is new wood that hasn’t been grayed out or weathered. If the inside of the shingle is exposed, it might look bright tan or orangish. Look for splits in the shingle that aren’t weathered around the edges, suggesting that this is new damage.
No matter what type of shingle you have, always check to see if the roofing felt is visible anywhere. Spots that are unprotected by shingles give water a pathway to enter your home and cause more damage in the future.
Springtree Restoration: Your North Texas Hail Damage Experts
Hailstorms are never fun to deal with, and the aftermath can be costly. Some damage might not show up for months, all the while causing damage to your roof decking and attic structure. Call Springtree Restoration to repair or replace your damaged roof following a hailstorm. We have years of experience with insurance companies, and we serve the entire DFW Metroplex and surrounding areas.
