Hail is a type of precipitation that forms high up in storm clouds where it’s cold enough to freeze, even during the year’s warmer months. When this happens, the water droplets freeze and fall to the ground. What size hail damages a roof? That varies, but it depends on how large and the kind of roofing type.
Hail damage costs homeowners money every year in costly repairs. But thankfully, some installers specialize in storm damage, so the size of hail that damaged your roof shouldn’t be an issue.
What Size Hail Will Damage Different Roofing Types
Hail has a tremendous variance in size. It can be anywhere from ¾ to 4 ¾ of an inch. You won’t experience much hail damage to a shingle roof from the smaller ones, but hail-damaged shingles can be significant when you get into the higher ranges. The size of hail that will damage a roof varies:
Penny-Sized Hail Damage
Nothing smaller than a penny is likely to damage your asphalt shingles unless it happens consistently. You might want a roof inspection to assess possible hail-damaged shingles and determine the size of hail that damaged your roof. Something penny-sized or larger can cause dents even to your metal roofing by denting the material.
Golf Ball Sized-Hail Damage
Golf Ball-sized hail will damage a roof. It can come down with enough force to break glass and cause injury. You’re almost guaranteed to find some hail damage to a shingle roof.
Pool Ball-Sized Hail Damage
Any hail this size or over is hazardous and will damage a roof and should be avoided if possible. Don’t go outside when this hail is happening. After this size falls, you should have a roofer come to inspect the hail damaged shingles.
What Hail Damage Looks Like
What does hail damage look like to a shingle roof? What size hail damaged a roof will determine this. Sometimes hail damaged shingles can be hard to spot if the size hail that damaged the roof is small.
When they go up there, your roof inspector might find dents and pitting from the hail damaging your roof, leaving marks in the shingles and dents on any metal vents or flashing that may be up there.
If the size hail that damaged the roof is more significant, hail damaged shingles may even have perforations.
If you’re concerned about hail damage to your shingle roof, you can look for signs of pitting around your property. Check gutters, the mailbox, and even your car. Your roof may be completely fine, but it doesn’t hurt to do your due diligence.
What Homeowners Should Do After Hail Damage
Aside from the obvious question of ‘what size hail will damage a roof,” you’re probably wondering what you should do after the damage occurs. The good news is that most homeowners insurance policies cover things like a large-sized hail damaging roof. You’ll need to take a few steps to file your claim:
- Document the damage. It’s not recommended that anyone go up on their roof themselves to document the damage of any sized hail that damaged their roof. For this, you want to contact a reputable roofing company. Some companies will help with your claim.
- Get a quote. Ideally, you’ll get several quotes to bring to your insurance company when it comes time to speak with them. These companies will be able to give you an idea of what size hail damaged your roof. But if time is an issue, just one quote will likely be sufficient.
- File your claim. You’ll reach out to your insurance company, requesting that they pay out for the damages to your roof so that your contractor can do the repairs. Roofs are an expensive asset for your home, and you want to keep it in top shape.
- Meet with the adjuster. At this point, you’ll meet with an insurance agency representative. Sometimes they’ll agree with your quotes, and others, they won’t. You can dispute the costs and even hire a private adjuster to disagree. You can also request that the insurance company speak with your contractor if you have one.
- Payout and hiring a contractor. After this is all done, you’ll receive the payout for the damages, and you can officially hire your contractor to begin the work on your home.
How Hail Size Can Damage a Roof and Solutions
The size of hail that will damage a roof varies from storm to storm, but the conditions in Minneapolis are ripe for these kinds of storms.
If you’re concerned about hail damage in the area, you can contact Perfect Exteriors today to speak with one of our team members. We can help you with a free estimate and assistance with your insurance company, giving you peace of mind.
