Hail Damage
Hail is a variety of rain that happens when an updraft in the thunderstorms carries raindrops into the higher clouds where temperatures are below freezing. A tiny particle of ice grows around some kind of nucleus. The nucleus can be a small ice crystal, a particle of dust, a frozen raindrop, or something else.
These ice particles after completed drops within the cloud back below freezing temperatures, where it accumulates more moisture from raindrops and water steam. Finally, it gets trapped in another updraft and freezes again. The more powerful the updrafts, the longer a hailstone travels up and down, getting bigger until gravity no longer supports it and the ice particles fall.
Consequences of Hail Damage
The damage caused by the hail will depend on many factors, including:
- Type of Roofing materials,
- Age of roofing materials,
- If you have a Roof slope,
- Quality of the building;
- Hail size, hail density, and shape ;
- The velocity and angle of the hailstone.
On average, it takes a hailstone with a 1″ or higher to cause harm to traditional Asphalt Shingles. When we are talking about hail sizes, here are a few basic things for you to compare:
- Pea = 1/4-inch in diameter
- Marble = 1/2-inch in diameter
- Dime or penny = 3/4-inch in diameter
- Nickel = 7/8-inch
- Quarter = 1 inch
- Golf Ball = 1½ inches
- Tennis Ball = 2½ inches
- Baseball = 2¾ inches
- Teacup = 3 inches
- Softball = 4 inches
Hail damage can be categorized as ‘functional’ or ‘cosmetic’.
Functional hail injury term is used when the hail ruins the viability and durability of the roof. Cosmetic hail damage is a kind of damage that doesn’t change the integrity of the roof, it keeps working normally.
High winds and hail can decrease the integrity of your shingles. A weak seal can be why shingles blow off and leave your roof exposed to the natural elements. A broken shingle can lead to leaks and can induce other shingles around it to split. Here are other types of damage that can be caused by hail:
- Damage to siding and window sills
- Bent gutters, damaged gutter screens, or downspouts
- Harm to decks or painted wood surfaces
- Damage To Roof Vents And Shingles
To make sure you’ll never suffer from this type of problem, it’s necessary to get a qualified and trained inspector such as Palmetto Roofers workers to assist you with the maintenance.
If you are a homeowner and need a trustworthy company to come do a free inspection, call Palmetto Roofers today at (864) 686-4050 and we’ll come out asap to help.