What is hail and how is it formed
Hailstones are created by dropplets of water freezing in large clouds. A frozen droplet begins to fall during a storm, but is pushed back up by a strong updraft of wind. The droplets freeze into hailstones.For the hail to be formed, these conditions must be in place:
1.High super-cold water in the atmosphere
2.Hail embryos: small frozen raindrops or soft ice particles known as grauple, which are hardened conglomerates of snow crystals.
3. And very strong updrafts
How hail damages roofs
OTHER FACTORS THAT COME IN TO PLAY
The size, density, free-fall velocity, the shape of the hail, its directionality, and angle of impact can all affect the damage you see to your home. Three of these properties -- size, density, and free-fall velocity -- affect what's referred to as the “impact energy” of hail. If the hail is wind driven it may determine what areas on your property receive damage. Generally it only takes 1 inch hail to damage a standard 3 tab shingle
What size hail will damage your roof ?
On average, it takes a 1″ or above diameter hail stone to cause damage to common asphalt shingles. When referring to hail sizes, here are a few common objects to compare:
- Pea = 1/4-inch in diameter
- Marble = 1/2-inch in diameter
- Dime or penny = 3/4-inch in diameter (hail the size of a penny or larger is considered severe)
- Nickel = 7/8-inch
- Quarter = 1 inch
- Golf Ball = 1½ inches
- Tennis Ball = 2½ inches
- Baseball = 2¾ inches
- Tea cup = 3 inches
- Softball = 4 inches
Hail density and directionality
The severity of damage from the angle of impact should be consistent with other evidence of directionality that you see on various surfaces around the property.
Hail can hit all exposed surfaces, so evidence of the direction from which hail came should be apparent on a number of different types of surfaces, and not just on the roof. Evidence of hail damage may be visible on a number of items around the home. This is called collateral damage. Examining collateral damage may give you useful information.
Occasionally, hail will fall almost straight down, and, in these situations, damage on different slopes may be similar, and collateral damage may be limited.
Latent and severe damage
While “severe damage” refers to immediately observable dents, cracks, and fissures, “latent damage,” which references a loss of granules or structural weakening of shingles, should also be a concern. Be aware that shingles that are over the top of other shingles will be more severely damaged and that a more rigid underlayment helps to reduce the hails impact. Roofs with poor ventilation, low-quality shingles, and old, brittle shingles will be the most affected. If these are damaged , you should get them repaired right away. If the damage is ” latent “, or less severe ,you may have a little more time before your homes at risk. But don’t wait too long before you get the repairs started.
What to do if you think you have damage
Our Storm damage services
If you have damage CLAIM it !
Filing any claims due to tornadoes, hail storms hurricanes and other” acts of God” weather related events are non chargeable claims. They cannot raise your rates individually for filing these types of claims and they cannot drop you, as these are circumstances beyond your control.
Every roofing shingle manufacturer has a clause in there paperwork that voids the roofs warranty when its impacted by hail,and with the latest weather tracking technology they know the exact day and time that occurred
Insurance companies put time limitations on the ability to file claims for weather related damages.Some has short as one year
In many cases hail damage does not cause your roof to leak right away , it accelerates then aging process of your roof and causes to fail prematurely. So just because your roof isn't leaking right after the storm doesn't mean it isn't damaged.
Since this is a non chargeable claim and you only have a limited time to make it , its a good idea to do so. The insurance companies are not paying for roofs that have no damage. So have them meet your contractor on the property to put your mind at ease
