Importance of following up with Hail Damage

It’s often hard for property owners to grasp the importance of following up with hail damage to a roof.  Many times when hail damages a roof, it is not large enough to penetrate the roof surface and cause immediate roof leaks, therefor the damage isn’t recognizable to the untrained eye.  When hail hits a shingle roof it can cause small fractures in the matting and asphalt components of the shingle compromising its longevity and effectiveness.  The granules on the shingle also serve multiple functions and when they get displaced they are leaving the shingle susceptible to the affects of the sun.  Just like asphalt roads, once the asphalt of a shingle gets full exposure to the sun it begins to break down at a faster rate than it would otherwise; this is why when you see an old shingle roof it looks like the shingles are beginning to curl, and it is commonly on the south and west sides of the structure where they see the most sun.  The life cycle of a roof drastically angles downward as more and more granules are lost and the asphalt is becomes the first line of defense to the sun.  Insurance companies recognize hail damage as a covered loss for a reason, and that it immediately decreased the value of your property.  It’s also important to add, that all hail doesn’t necessarily damage shingles. This is where it’s important to have somebody you can trust inspecting your damage.  The age and integrity of the shingle may allow the shingle to withstand the impact from medium to smaller hail.  Density often times comes into play as well, and its common to get what we call “snow cone” hail, in that it just doesn’t have the density to damage the shingles when it hits.  The most important thing is to be aware either way, if you have hail damage to your roof or not.