Identifying Hail Damage to Your Roof

Friday, April 24th, 2015

After last weekend’s storm, many of us might be wondering if there was damage to our roof. There are several ways you can check for the possibility of damage before you pull out the ladder or call a roofing professional. A good place to begin is to identify the size of the hail. Typically, hail that’s 11/4” or larger can cause roof damage.  Another indication is if anything has been damaged by the hail, such as siding or patio furniture. Check the trees, shrubs and plants around your home. If they are stripped of foliage, there is a possibility your roof was damaged as well. You also want to look around on the ground for any roof pieces. This could range from shingle granules to large pieces of shingles. 

If you have a clay tile roof, the best indicator of damage is the hail size. Hail that is less than 2” don’t typically cause damage, those larger than 2” can break off or chip the tile and cause cracks that go all the way through. Typically, the center of clay tile is more resistant than the edges, but hairline cracks might occur. 

If you see any of these signs, then you can pull out the ladder to check the roof. For shingle roofs, hail will leave an obvious pattern of differently sized craters, but the pattern will look random. For tile roofs, look for breaks or cracks. Even if you don’t see anything, but there were other signs, it is best to call your insurance company and/or roofing professional to have your roof inspected.