How Does Hail Affect Roof Shingles in Grand Rapids Michigan?

HomePros September 24, 2018

Hail is a kind of precipitation which happens as air updrafts within thunderstorms carry raindrops inside the top-level clouds in which temperatures are below freezing. A tiny particle of ice will form around some kind of nucleus. It might be a small ice crystal, frozen raindrop, speck of dust, or something else. And when it does form and fall onto your home’s roof it can destroy your home’s roof. In this article we’ll look at how hail affects the roof shingles on your Grand Rapids Michigan home.

How Does Hail Affect Roof Shingles in Grand Rapids Michigan?

Then, that frozen ice particle drops inside the cloud back below freezing temperatures, in which it picks up more dampness from water vapor and rain drops. It eventually gets caught in an additional updraft and refreezes.

The stronger an updraft, the longer the hailstone circulates down and up… and grows bigger and bigger until gravity no longer permits it to stay lofted.

During that point, the hail will fall toward the ground, in which it may inflict damage on property or people.

Weather may be unpredictable, and rough weather conditions—particularly hail—may damage roof shingles. Contractors ought to explain to folks how hail will affect roof shingles and what they must be on the lookout for.

Typically, the manufacturer’s warranty won’t cover roof damage that is caused by hail, but you must go over the warranty details that covers your shingles, so you can determine if any type of coverage is available. Below we list some answers to typical inquiries in regard to hail damage to the roof.

Is damage to your roof in Grand Rapids Michigan instantly noticeable?

Damage isn’t always immediately noticed. The impact of hail might lead to latent damage which can, over a period of time, lead to premature aging of the roof’s shingles in Grand Rapids Michigan. Without noticeable damage, there’s no actual way to be certain how much, (if applicable), damage roof shingles have encountered. Latent damage that is caused by severe weather or hail might not be obvious until months or even years down the road and might cause the roof shingles to prematurely age.

How to tell if your roofing was damaged

Damage generally may be witnessed as fractures and/or indentations on the surface of a shingle. Hailstones differ in hardness, shape, and size and may cause a pattern of depressions or dents. If this isn’t evident, search for indentations upon metal flashings, chimney caps, siding, or skylight flashings. After a period of time, clusters of granules might come off in a pattern then expose the asphalt.

The most common kinds of roof damage

Granule loss during impact points that might come along with surface depression. A loss of granules as a gradual or immediate consequence of storm damage may cause the asphalt coating to be exposed directly to the elements. It might cause accelerated aging of the roof shingle. Thereby, granule loss isn’t just aesthetic damage, and “sugaring” (procedure of adding loose granules to any damaged roof shingles through the use of asphalt cement) isn’t a solution that is permanent.
Cracks inside the granule-asphalt surfacing that might radiate outward from impact points. Cracks might be present particularly if high winds blew the roof shingles back.
The fiberglass mat is exposed. The surface of the granule asphalt is shattered. This is caused by the hail. It then breaks away from the fiberglass mat.
Fractured fiberglass mat that might or might not be instantly noticeable. The fractured mat might result in tears that radiate out from the impact points. Moreover, damage to a mat that is hidden might later develop into tears and cracks over time as the roof shingles grow older.
Loosening of a self-seal strip. The roof damage might or might not be noticeable immediately and might weaken the integrity of the seal and create the probability of future roof shingle blow-off.

Can multiple individual roof shingles be replaced, or should the whole roofing be replaced?

While you can replace individual storm damaged roof shingles in Grand Rapids Michigan, latent damage to any surrounding shingles that are caused by a severe storm may be challenging to assess. Due to the possibility for the surrounding roof shingles to additionally have suffered storm damage, full roof replacement sometimes is advised for the long-range performance of such roofs. If the damage is confined to a single plane of the roof, replacement of only the damaged roof plane might be possible. If individual roof shingles are being replaced, all nails which were taken off from surrounding roof shingles have to be replaced and all surrounding shingles have to be resealed by hand for optimal results.