Damage from hail stones should be corrected immediately, starting with a call for hail damage roofing repair.
This damage might be covered by a homeowners insurance policy, but only after the problem is proven to be hail damage and not just old shingles, which are normally not covered after a certain age.
How do hail damage roof repair companies determine whether the issue is actually from hail and not age?
There are a few tell-tale signs that can prove one way or the other that insurance companies depend on when deciding whether or not to pay.
- Dents and Bruises - The main sign of significant hail damage is denting on the shingles that can be both seen and felt as indents where the hailstone hit. Smaller hail can also produce “bruises” that might not be as visible but can be felt with the fingers. Old shingles typically do not suffer from indents of any kind unless they have been impacted by hail.
- Missing Granules - Missing granules is a condition that hail damage roof repair services must look closely at since shingles can lose their granules as they get older. The key to determining whether hail is the cause is the pattern of damage. Damage from even light smaller hail that has resulted in knocking off some granules is more centralized around the area where the hail made impact, taking on the appearance of a bald spot. Age-related granule loss is general and widespread and looks like an overall thinning of the granule coating.
- Cracks and Splits - Generally speaking, the cracks and splits that hail damage roof repair companies see being caused by actual hail can be present throughout the entire body of the shingle, usually underneath where the hail makes impact. Old shingles tend to crack and split along the edges over time as they withstand more weather over time and get more windblown.
- Shingle Color On Damaged Areas - Another important detail that differs between hail damage and age is the color of the shingle itself under the spots where gravel might be missing. Installations that require hail damage roofing repair have light spots on them where the granules were recently broken off and the hail hit the surface. Old shingles that have simply dropped their granules over time are usually darker in color due to age, grime, and UV damage.
Naturally, every homeowner wants to know that their roof repairs are covered by homeowners insurance at the first sign of a leak.
When hail damage roof repair services find that the problem is due to recent hail storms, insurers will normally pay.
If the damage noticed after a storm only seems like it but hail damage roof repair companies determine it to simply be old age, they will not.
The best way to come out on top in all cases is to arrange for hail damage roofing repair right away when problems happen and provide good maintenance in the meantime to slow the roof aging process!