Not all hail storms are alike. Many factors determine the level of hail damage a home might receive. A hailstorm in your neighborhood does not automatically mean you will sustain roof damage. Conversely, falling hail may damage your roof, while not affecting a neighbor’s roof at all.
Real Good Roofing of Savannah GA recommends that homeowners contact a professional roofer, prior to calling their insurance agent, for a complete roof examination after a hailstorm has occurred. The reasons for this are simple. Every time a homeowner contacts their insurer, a claim inquiry is recorded. Too many claims, even the ones that result in no action from the insurer, can red flag a homeowners file. It is with-in the insurance company’s rights, to drop an owner for too many inquires or even after a single paid claim. By letting a professional roofer evaluate the roof first, owners can avoid making a claim unless absolutely deemed necessary.
Factors that affect the level of hail damage, include the specific style of roof shingles (age, layers, pitch, wood deck framing) and the hail stones themselves (size, density, velocity).
Hailstone Factors
Hailstones have been reported to range from ¼ inch in diameter (very little roof damage) up to 4 ½ inches in diameter (severe roof damage). The common size for causing damage to roofing systems is ¾ inch or dime size.
How Hail is commonly measured
• Pea = ¼ inch diameter
• Marble = ½ inch diameter
• Dime = ¾ inch
• Nickel = 7/8 inch
• Quarter = 1 inch
• Ping-Pong Ball = 1 ½ inches
• Golf Ball = 1 ¾ inches
• Tennis Ball = 2 ½ inches
• Baseball = 2 ¾ inches
• Teacup = 3 inches
• Grapefruit = 4 inches
• Softball = 4 ½ inches
Studies have shown that hail-producing thunderstorms occurring in periods of cool weather generate small hail with a relatively low density. Hail-producing thunderstorms occurring during periods of warm weather with sudden temperature drops such as we see in the Tampa Florida region, generate larger hail with a higher density.
As objects fall out of the sky toward the Earth; gravity causes them to accelerate at the rate of 32 feet per second.
However, falling objects reach terminal velocity – a point at which they stop accelerating and travel at a constant speed.
The terminal velocity of a 3-inch hailstone is 90 mph!
Hail can be propelled at even greater velocities aided by the storms downdraft. Straight-line winds will also increase the speed of a hailstone. The same 3-inch stone with a terminal velocity of 90 mph combined with a 40 mph horizontal wind will fall at well over 120 mph!
The slope of the roof has a considerable effect on the outcome of the hailstone impacting the roof. Hailstones striking the roof at a 90-degree angle are more likely to cause damage than those striking a glancing blow. Steeper roof slopes can actually decrease the amount of damage.
Newer shingles are more impact resistant than old. However, the effects of the sun and weathering often result in all shingles becoming brittle over time.
The framing of the roof deck also plays an important role in hail resistance. Too much flexibility in the wood reduces the effectiveness of the resistance to impact. Solid roof decks, using tongue and groove decking or plywood over moderately spaced trusses, greatly improve the impact resistance of the roof.
Re-covering over an existing roof system significantly reduces the impact resistance of the roof. A roof with two layers of asphalt shingles exhibits a sponge effect, resulting in the shingle layer being more susceptible to impact by hailstones. It is always better to have a single roof layer on your home.
Hail is oftentimes combined with high winds in a storm. Shingles manufacturers all rate their shingles for wind resistance. When a shingle is exposed to weather greater than the rating, entire sections of roofing can become damaged.
After a major wind event, their will be two types of damage, CATASTROPHIC (roof missing, wood exposed, leaks into home) and FUTURE (shingles did not blow off right away, but have been damaged and weakened to the point that subsequent winds that would not have been a problem, now cause sections of roofing to raise up and or blow off).
Homeowners generally have one year from the date of the storm to make a claim with their insurance company. Insurance companies all use estimating programs to derive a roofs replacement value. Better roofing contractors will also use this same software. One benefit to this type of estimating is that as material prices change, updates are downloaded automatically into the computers. So if a homeowner received a check in the fall, but could not get the work done until the spring, the insurance company will remit the added cost, via a second payment. Also, a professional roof top inspection will often reveal details that an insurance adjuster has omitted. When the roofer submits the pictures and written details, the insurance company will add the extra money to the settlement,
Can My Roof Be Examined From The Ground?
To determine if any damage has been caused by a hail or wind storm, a close inspection of the roof must be made by a qualified professional. In most cases, damage cannot be observed from the ground. Real Good Roofing of Savannah GA offers FREE roof top inspections via DRONES and physical examination and includes digital pictures of our findings!
Our trained inspectors will thoroughly document every bit of damage so you have a clear report for your insurance company.
If they find hail damage, your roof can be tarped to prevent leak damage, at no cost to you!
What does a hail hit look like?
A hail impact on a shingle depends greatly on the size and speed of the hail itself. In many cases, it looks like a “bruise” or a dark spot where the granules on the single have been displaced and the asphalt underlayment is now exposed. Even if your roof has only sustained granular loss without significant bruising, your roof is still susceptible to the damaging effects of granular loss, which exposes any of the underlayment causing an alteration of the fire rating and deceleration of the roof’s actual performance level.
Should I replace my roof right away?
The insidious nature of hail damage is that it can pose no immediate threat to the integrity of the roof. However, many insurance companies have a “statute of limitations” dictating how long a hail claim is valid for. It is imperative that you file a claim with-in one year, in order to protect all your rights. When your insurance company finds enough damage to warrant the replacement of your roof, you should not hesitate to have it replaced.
Why would my insurance replace my roof?
The purpose of home owner’s insurance is to protect homeowners against the losses incurred on their property, which are beyond their control. Your insurance policy covers direct, physical damage to your home, meaning that your insurance company has a contractual obligation to repair or replace any damage to your property