Early spring is usually the kick-off to hail season. As you are likely aware, hail can do significant damage to anything it comes in contact with depending on the size of the hail. Hail is a solid form of precipitation made up of balls or irregular lumps of ice referred to as hailstones. Hail normally develops and falls during periods of severe thunderstorms. The size of hail varies from pea size on up, with the largest recorded hailstone in the United States measuring 1.67 pounds with a circumference of 17.5 inches. Now that could do some damage!
Your home’s roof is usually most susceptible to hail damage, with other damage possible to windows, siding, decks, fencing, landscaping, air conditioners, garage doors, gutters and downspouts, all depending on the size of the hailstones. Roof engineering studies have shown that it takes hail one and one quarter inches or larger to cause damage to a sound roofing system. When hail claims are reported to insurance companies, an inspection is usually required to confirm the extent of hail damage for payment of the claim. On occasion, the adjuster or appraiser inspecting your property may report to you they did not find evidence of hail damage. You may ask how can that be when your neighbor next door was told he or she had hail damage requiring the roof to be replaced?
There are several factors that can lead to why one home may have evidence of hail damage and a home next door does not. Some of these factors may include:
- The direction a house faces in regard to the direction of the storm. Roof slopes that directly face the oncoming hail are more susceptible to damage as the hail will strike those areas straight on as opposed to glancing hits on the opposite or adjacent roof slopes. It is not uncommon for one slope of a roof to have hail damage and the opposite slope to not have damage.
- The steeper the slopes of a roof, the less susceptible they are to hail damage because the hailstones strike at a less direct angle than on those roofs that are not as steep.
- The composition, quality, and age of shingles play a significant role in whether a roof sustains hail damage. A heavier shingle will withstand hail much better than a lighter shingle. Also a newer shingle will resist hail damage much better than a shingle that is aged and already showing signs of deterioration.
- Trees can play a significant role in shielding a roof from hail damage. Large mature trees in close proximity to a home that provide shade to the home can also prevent or lessen the impact of hailstones striking your roof.
- You may also want to verify that your neighbor’s insurance carrier actually had someone inspect their roof and identify hail damage as opposed to paying a claim based only on reports of hail in the area or a report of hail damage by a roofing contractor canvassing the area for business following a hailstorm.
- Finally, you need to ensure those that inspect your roof and indicate you have hail damage actually know what hail damage looks like. They should be able to differentiate hail damage from other common roof damage such as natural shingle aging and deterioration, nail pops, manufacturing defects such as blistering and excessive granule loss, and mechanical damage from hammers, shoes, tree limbs, and the like.
I would love to hear about your experience if you’ve had a hail claim in the past.
One issue to add , companies like HAAG eng are not consistent in their discription of hail damage when describing to individuals involved on both sides of the insurance claim business. They are obviously in the game like everyone else but use a degree in engineering to convince others they are the only
Source who can determine hail damage. Their certification was great if you had zero lknowledge of hail issues but definitely no reason to follow up with their hype. Hail has grown enough that the web and books are all thats needed to make a statement. The PE license should be utilized for its real purpose and stop the belittling practice they are attempting
Mike,
Thanks for the comment. I might suggest if you disagree with an engineering report prepared for an insurance claim that you discuss with your adjuster what other options exist under the terms of your insurance policy for resolution of a disputed hail claim. I agree there are many people knowledgeable about identifying hail damage beyond professional engineers. This may include homeowners, insurance agents, roofing contractors, roofing consultants and insurance adjusters.
I discovered your weblog website on the search engines and
verify many of your personal early posts. Continue to keep the excellent
operate. I just additional enhance RSS feed to my MSN News Reader.
Looking for ahead to studying extra in the human body in a while!
…
Thanks for visiting!
WONDERFUL Post.thanks share..more wait .. …
Thank you for reading my blog and commenting. Check back often to see our posts from additional Central employees and partners!
I suggest this post, enjoyed this thankyou for putting up.
Thanks for reading the post and passing it on. I am glad you enjoyed the post and I hope you have a great spring!