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What size of hail causes roof damage

11th Jan '21 • By Rohit Mankame

Hail attacks your home as chunks of ice, varying in both size and velocity. Your windows are the most obvious risk during a hailstorm, but it can also damage your roof.

Hail is a strong force of nature. Hail storms in Queensland are quite common and are a factor that cause property and roof damage. Hail affects your roof in subtle ways causing shingle damage, broken corners and roof gutters. The damage only increases if not repaired in time causing roof leaks and may even lead to roof replacement. 

What is hail?

Hail is basically frozen rain. It can cause a lot of damage to roofs, infrastructure and vehicles. 

Hail is formed very easily in the sky. It is formed by a tiny raindrop or grain of dust floating in the air at freezing temperatures. Carried high by wind into the storm clouds, this hailstone can soon freeze and expand in size, absorbing more humidity from the rain and water vapour as the wind tosses it deeper into the atmosphere, only to be snatched up again by the storm currents. 

The more the hailstone keeps circling within the storm current, the bigger it gets. Eventually the hailstone falls to the ground, causing massive damage to the roofs and structures on the ground. 

Shingle damage by hail

What size of hail causes roof damage?

Even less than 1 inch of hail will destroy a roof or other parts of your home. The scale of the hail may be the simplest predictor during a hailstorm as to what kinds of damage you can face. Although not a foolproof approach for forecasting storm damage, a great way to start is to learn the different hail sizes and how they impact your house. You should also know which type of roof lasts the longest in terms of lifespan. 

Hail - ¾”

While this may be the smallest size of hail, it can still be harmful to your roof. Vinyl sliding window screens and painted decks are usually affected by this hail of this size. This size can also damage asphalt shingles and weaken gutters and downspouts.

Hail - 1”

We continue to see bruising to the shingle underlay and substantial damage to siding, gutters and fascia as we cross the 1' level. The severity of damage will be dictated by wind levels, and you will also see roof damage comparable to damage caused by smaller sizes of hail. 

Hail - 1 ¼”

The magnitude of this hail size is much more significant, with just a 1⁄4' rise. The hail-exposed parts of your land have the potential to look like Swiss cheese. We can see this hail, even without the wind, causing destruction by merely coming out of the sky.

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Hail - 1 ½”

This scale of hail causes significant damage to property. The damage will be affected by factors like volume of hail, the period of time it falls and the associated wind speed. 

Hail - 1 ¾” to 2” 

This size of hail can infiltrate soft parts of your roof such as ridge caps or plastic roof vents. This type of hail can easily break windows and damage most metal fixtures. 

Hail - 2” + 

Anything this scale or beyond will cause your property to sustain extensive and permanent harm. It is no longer a case of ‘if’ you have damage to your roof. We recommend that you contact a roofing professional and claim your insurance shortly after the storm has passed. 

Big hail causes lot of damage

What are the signs of hail roof damage?

It is important to walk around your property in the aftermath of a hailstorm and inspect any damage that comes from hailstones or wind. For your hailstone exposure roof inspection, it's worthwhile being thorough. It will spare you a headache and heartache later by following up on some mild hail damage now. Know, as time goes by, any issues that go undetected can get worse and more expensive to repair.

Chimneys, Roof Vents & Skylights 

Sometimes, roof vents are constructed from lightweight metal or plastic. Dents in a metal vent or holes in a plastic vent are telltale signs that strong hail has struck the roof. 

Next, check the metal around the chimney. Examine the covers on the metal chimney for dents. To find the hail impact points, run a chalk sideways across the surface. 

Finally, search for scratched or broken glass if your roof has skylight.

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Damaged Gutters 

Gutters will suffer from hail damage as well. The most likely to survive a hailstorm without damage are steel gutters, while smooth gutters with an aluminium or copper build may display signs of denting or dimpling. Gutters made out of vinyl can have cracks and punctures. 

Shingles 

The shingles can be hit by strong hail impacts or strong winds which cause cracks. This can lead to exposure and crying, leaving bare spots on your roof. Cracked shingles will not be able to shield the roof from the weather elements efficiently.

Man repairs hail damage

How to repair roof damage?

Repairing a roof destroyed by hail may be as easy as repairing a single shingle or removing the entire roof, depending on the degree of the damage. This huge gap in maintenance choices is why we recommend that everybody after a major hailstorm gets their roof inspected by a roof specialist. The magnitude of the damage can be easily assessed by a skilled roofer

If you believe your roof has been damaged during a recent or past hurricane, most roof inspections are still free, giving you a no-cost alternative. If you're uncertain if you need a roof check for hail damage, check for signs of damage like the ones listed above.

If you notice more than one instance of a dented gutter or siding damage, a hail damage roof inspection should be seriously considered.  Although it is easy to know where major damage has happened, it is more important to consider the moderate damage and determine what type of roof repairs will be necessary for hail damage.

It's crucial to find a roofing contractor that you trust and, ideally, one that has experience working on projects on which homeowners have lodged insurance claims after you have determined what to do and whether your home has been harmed.

Hail roof repair

Our certified experts in roofing have years of experience installing and fixing roofs. If you are seeking a professional roofer, contact service.com.au and we will refer an expert to help you decide what type of roofing materials are appropriate for your house and your budget. Post a job on our website if you already have a hail damaged roof and are having any issues with it. Any way, we will do our utmost to ensure that you and your roof are serviced at the earliest.

We provide thousands of Service.com.au users with various businesses everyday, ranging from interior design to carpenters and roofing professionals. Simply search for tradesmen in your area and select the business that suits your needs. 

Either call them directly for a free quote, post your own job to receive multiple quotes from your local tradesperson or simply call our office directly, and our friendly staff will be more than happy to help select the perfect business to suit your needs.

If you're needing help finding a roofing professional for your latest roof installation, click the link below to receive multiple quotes from roofing professionals. 

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