Spotting Hail Damage On An Asphalt Shingle Roof

If you have an asphalt shingle roof, here are some of the most common signs of damage that you should watch for:

• Dark spots on the shingles where the granules have come loose. These spots appear in a random pattern and typically occur across multiple shingles over the entire surface of your roof. You may need to look carefully to see signs of missing granules – especially if you have dark shingles or if the damage is not very severe.
• Soft spots- If you see missing granules on one of your shingles, try pressing your finger gently into the spot. If it is soft, it is a sign that the damage has extended down into the underlying materials, indicating that it is much more severe.

Signs Of Hail Damage On Wooden Shingles

If you have wooden shingles, the signs are somewhat different and include the following:

• Fresh splits in your shingles. You can usually tell if a split is fresh because the edges will be sharp and the freshly exposed wood will be lighter in color than the rest of the surrounding wood.
• Dents around split areas in your shingles. If you find any split shingles, examine them closely, looking for dents or divots in the wood. These are caused by the impact of the hail hitting the shingle.

Identifying Damage Caused By Hail On Metal Roofs

Hail damage is usually quite obvious on metal roofs. Here are some signs to watch for:

• A random pattern of dents. These dents can range in size from extremely small to much larger, depending on the size of the hailstones that caused the damage.
• Cracks in the galvanized coating. Typically, you won’t be able to spot these with your naked eye. However, when the surface of the metal roofing becomes cracked, the protective coating is often damaged. Over time, as water pools in the dents, this can cause problems with rust and discoloration.

Hail Damage To Chimney Covers, Vent Caps, And Skylights

The easiest type of hail damage to spot is the type that affects vent caps, chimney covers, and skylights. Dents in these items are usually extremely easy to spot.
Keep in mind, however, that insurance companies typically won’t pay out on a hail damage claim if the only damage that occurred involved these types of items. In most cases, the actual roofing material itself will need to have been damaged in order to get any type of compensation back from your insurance company. Of course, it all depends on your policy and on the practices of your insurance company. If you spot this type of damage, it is still worth contacting them to see if they can help.

Starting The Repair Process

If you inspect your roof and see signs of hail damage, the next step is to file a claim with your insurance company. Typically, in order for your claim to be accepted, the damage needs to be relatively obvious or severe.

The best option is to contact your insurance agent directly to talk about your situation. They can give you an idea of what steps you should take next in terms of filing a claim. If the damage is severe enough, you also need to call Armor Services to repair your roof. Act as quickly as you can if the damage was caused by a recent storm. Roof repair companies usually get overwhelmed with business when an entire area is affected by a major hailstorm. If you don’t want to have to wait for months to get your roof repaired, you should try to get your name on the list as quickly as possible after the storm.