Hail storms can come out of nowhere and leave costly damage to your home in their wake. One of the most common forms of hail damage is roof damage. When large hail pelts your home at significant speeds, your roof can quite literally take a beating.
If you’re wondering what hail damage looks like on a roof, then read on to learn everything you need to know about roof hail damage. Then contact us at Brava Roof Tile to learn more about how our top-quality hailproof roofing tiles can prevent hail damage.
How Does Hail Damage a Roof?
Hail storms can create varying levels and types of hail roof damage depending on the hail size, storm intensity, wind speed, and several other factors. However, hail typically creates at least one of these roof damage types:
1.) Cracks in Your Shingles
When large, dense hail strikes your roof, it can sometimes create cracks in your shingles. However, your roofing material plays a significant role in whether hail will damage your shingles. Composite roofing tiles, for example, can withstand heavy impacts better than traditional asphalt or wood shingles.
2.) Loss of Granules
Asphalt shingles contain a mineral granule coating that gives them a sandpaper-like texture. Unfortunately, hail storms can knock some of these granules loose, exposing the asphalt underneath to any future weather elements. As a result, your roof may lose some of its water resistance, creating the risk of roof leaks down the line.
3.) Sealing Strip Separation
Shingles typically utilize a self-sealing strip to adhere to the base-layer roof surface. Unfortunately, heavy hail can wear down the adhesive on these strips or cause the shingles to separate from the adhesive layer, leading the shingles to fall off the roof.
4.) Fiberglass Fractures
Most asphalt shingles contain a fiberglass mat coating below the granule layer. If the granules have already begun wearing away before a hail storm, the hail can reach beneath the granular layer and fracture the fiberglass mat. Without proper repair, the shingles can then crack or tear over time.
What Size Hail Will Damage a Roof?
Most homeowners who have experienced hail damage report hail sizes of at least ¾ of an inch. However, the larger the hail, the more significant damage it can create.
Hail that is less than an inch wide typically only creates minor roof damage, such as damage to the granules on asphalt tiles. Meanwhile, hail exceeding two inches in diameter can create severe cracks in the shingles or knock roof tiles loose.
How Much Hail Damage Before I Should Replace My Roof?
The type of hail damage your roof experiences impacts whether you need a simple repair job or an entire roof replacement.
For example, if a few shingles lose their outer granular layers, a contractor should be able to repair these easily enough. However, if the storm knocks loose several tiles or your roof begins to leak, it may be time to replace your roof altogether.
Most homeowners insurance policies provide coverage for damage that occurs due to natural disasters, such as storms. If you think you need roof repairs or a complete replacement, you can contact your insurance company to send a roofing contractor to perform an inspection. Your contractor will recommend whether you need to replace the entire roof or just mend a few tiles.
However, if you live in an area that experiences frequent hail storms—and your roof has already experienced damage from hail—you may want to consider replacing your roof with a new material that resists hail damage better. At Brava Roof Tiles, we offer durable composite roofing materials that provide excellent protection against hail damage.
Why Is Hail Damage Bad for a Roof?
If your roof has endured hail damage, you may be tempted to ignore the problem, especially if you do not see any visible consequences of this damage. However, hail damage can be devastating for your roof in the long run—and ignoring it may only worsen the problem.
First, hail damage can affect your roof’s integrity. When hail knocks loose the protective coating on your roof tiles, the roof is more likely to experience even more damage during the next storm.
Additionally, hail damage can lead your tiles to lose their water-resistant qualities, allowing water and moisture to seep into your attic and eventually leak into your house.
Hail damage can also cause air to escape from your house. Damaged roof tiles lose their insulating properties and leave gaps for warm or cool air to seep out of your home. As a result, you will need to spend more money heating or cooling your home with your HVAC system.
How to Prevent Hail Damage on Your Roof
While there’s no way to prevent a devastating hail storm from striking your property, there are a few measures you can take to protect your roof against large hail.
1.) Schedule Routine Roof Inspections
Minor roof problems are often challenging to identify, as you cannot see them unless you climb up to the roof and look for small cracks or missing granules. Scheduling regular inspections with your local roofing contractor can ensure that you do not overlook any weaknesses in your roof that could become prone to hail damage.
2.) Fix Existing Damage As It Occurs
Existing hail damage leaves your roof more vulnerable to experiencing even worse damage during the next hail storm. However, fixing any problems as they occur can prevent future hail storms from wreaking havoc on your roof.
3.) Install Brava Roof Tile’s Hail-Proof Roofing Materials
Traditional roofing materials like asphalt do not provide much resistance in the face of strong hail. Instead, we recommend replacing your roofing tiles with Brava Roof Tile’s Class 4 impact-resistant composite shingles.
Our synthetic composite shingles stand firm in the face of steel balls traveling at 90 mph, giving you confidence that they can withstand strong hail storms as well. Even better, these shingles mimic the design and aesthetic appeal of popular roofing materials like cedar shakes, slate, and barrel tiles.
Contact Brava Roof Tile today at 844-290-4196 to request a sample of our impact-resistant composite shingles.
