Hail is an overpowering phenomenon and also one of the major causes of roof damage. In order to keep your roof safe, it is very important to have it regularly inspected and maintained by professionals, but even so, if the inevitable happens and hail damages your Dallas roof, it is very important to document the damage properly to be able to obtain the best possible compensation from your insurer. To make the process of looking for proof easier, here are the 5 most conspicuous signs of hail damage on a roof – check for all of them and make sure you take pictures and videos of everything you find, the evidence will come in very useful during the insurance claims process.
Damaged Metal Components
The tin, aluminum or steel components and accessories on your roof are the most vulnerable to hail, so start by inspecting the metal vents, the flashing around the chimney, the gutters, the downspouts, the gutter screens and the valleys on the roof. Damaged metal components will have dents that also indicate the dimension of the ice balls that hit it.
Damage of the Top of the Roof
The ridge cap of the roof – the flat area where the sides of the roof meet and are joined – is also a very sensitive component. Hail will leave it dented or broken.
The Sides
Hail can also cause components of the roofing cover to bruise and crack, what’s more, hails storms can also sweep off parts or pieces of the roof:
- if you have roof tiles, check them for cracks and chipped edges
- if you have a shingle roof, also check for damaged pieces, especially for spots where the granules have been displaced or completely removed by the hail – it is usually where the integrity of the material has been compromised
- asphalt roofs can get cracked by the ice balls, so if you have that type of roof, look for cracks, thick or hairline.
Damaged Chimneys
Chimneys are also sensitive to hail, so make sure you inspect every inch of these components as well. Damage on metal chimneys takes the same shape as the damage of the other metal components, while the hail might cause cracks to brick chimneys.
Damaged Sidings
Hail does no fall in a straight vertical line, so a violent hail storm might cause damage to the siding panels as well. Check them for dings, dents, cracks and other signs of impact and make sure you document them as well.
