Minnesota is no stranger to severe storms that bring wind, snow, ice and hail damage to roofs and properties. Hail damage is the real culprit because those hard balls of ice can be as big as baseballs. And when those balls come hurtling at your roof and siding you can have a big problem on your hands.
Hail can be pretty expensive to deal with. In fact, hail costs property owners in the U.S. $22 billion a year in damage to homes, buildings, cars, crops, and people.
Part of exterior maintenance involves inspecting your property after a particularly nasty storm to assess the level of damage. Sometimes hail is small and the damage done isn’t visible to the naked eye, but that doesn’t mean the damage isn’t there. That’s why you need an eagle-eye HOA contractor to inspect the property and assess the true level of damage.
Hail Damage and Roofs
Because the roofing system is the biggest components of a structure, it stands to reason that it takes the brunt of any hail damage that comes along. Hail’s effects can vary depending on factors like size, wind speed and direction, roofing material, age of materials and roof slope. Hail damage is particularly bad for roofs because it can lead to cracks and holes which can lead to leaks. And you don’t want that because one little leak on one part of the roof can affect the whole building.
Here are some common types of hail damage:
- Loss of granules: These are the sandpaper-like parts of a shingle. If a shingle sheds too many granules, the asphalt coating becomes exposed to the weather, which speeds up the aging process.
- Shingle cracks: Hail can crack your shingles, which will result in exposure and bare spots on your roof.
- Exposed fiberglass mat: When a shingle cracks, it can separate from the underlying fiberglass mat.
- Fractured fiberglass mat: This is similar but much more difficult to detect.
- Weak self-seal strip: Hail can cause weak seals, which allow shingles to fall or blow off in the wind. Your roof is then exposed to the elements, leading to leaks.
Detecting Hail Damage
Severe roof damage usually results in some pretty obvious signs, such as missing shingles or snapped tree branches. But it’s the minor damage that gets tricky, as it’s not easy to see from the ground. This is why a roof inspection by a trained professional is so important, as they can assess the underlying damage to your roof with state of the art techniques and equipment.
But being proactive is important as a property manager, too. There are some things you can look out for after a hail storm. The main thing to do is check your gutters. High-impact hail will dent your gutters and downspouts – a fairly obvious sign you can probably detect just by looking. If you see dents on your gutters, chances are you have damage on your roof too.
In addition, shedding granules due to roof storm damage can accumulate in your gutters, which can clog water and prevent it from flowing freely. If you have overflowing gutters comprised mainly of granules, you likely have roof damage as well.
If you suspect your property has experienced hail damage of any kind, call an exterior maintenance contractor in MN immediately so the damage can be fixed before the next storm.
Contact All Star Construction
If you suspect your roof has suffered hail damage, contact us at (701) 315-8150. Just remember, not all hail damage is visible to the naked eye. Let us inspect your roof to ensure no damage has truly occurred.
