Protect your roof from potential hail damage

As a homeowner, you want to do everything you can to protect your home from damage. Repairs can be costly, and, if you’re not covered by insurance for certain events, there could potentially be a large out-of-pocket expense you may not be expecting. Hail, in particular, is a common weather event in Australia that causes billions of dollars of damage every year. As a homeowner, you should be aware of the potential dangers of hail and what you can do to prevent damage to your home and roof. 

What is Hail and What Damage Can It Cause?

Hail is a weather event. In the simplest terms, hailstones are large frozen raindrops produced during intense thunderstorms. Hailstones can be as small as pebbles or the size of baseballs, depending on the severity of the storm. Due to the size and relatively hard structure of the ice pellets, a hailstorm can cause significant damage to buildings, vehicles, and vegetation.

Hail can be particularly damaging to the roof of your home in several ways. These include:

• Bruising or denting soft spots that may not have been visible to the naked eye on asphalt shingles
• Loosening the granules on the outer surface of asphalt shingles
• Damaging felt matting that could lead to exposure of other fibres
• Damaging roof vents, eaves, and other metal roof parts
• Damaging tree branches that hang over the roof area, causing them to fall and damage shingles or sections of the roof itself

Can You Protect Your Roof From Hail?

Preventing a hail-damaged roof isn’t an easy task. There are a few measures you can take, however, to lessen the damage in a storm.

Be sure to prune and cut back trees so that they don’t hang over the roof. That way, if branches do fall, it won’t be on your home. If you are installing a new roof, consider investing in wind and hail resistant shingles. Class VI shingles for example, have an impact resistance rating of UL 2218. These shingles can endure the impact of sizeable hailstones and winds that blow up to 177 kph.

You should check your roof periodically for signs of damage and replace any shingles that show signs of weakening, if possible.

Will Insurance Cover Hail Damage?

Be aware that most homeowner insurance policies do not cover hail damage. Talk to your insurance company about what is covered under your policy and ask to add hail insurance. The sum is small, but if you do suffer hail damage in the future, your hail damaged roof repairs will be covered.

If you are covered, it’s important to check your roof for damage periodically anyway. Don’t wait for a leak to appear before calling your insurance firm. It’s always best to get your roof fixed before problems escalate.

If you do see what you think is hail damage, schedule an adjuster to come to your home to properly examine the shingles tiles or metal. When you are dealing with an insurance company, it’s always a good idea to have as much information as you can. If your home recently sustained hail damage, consider:

• Recording the exact date and time you believe the storm caused the damage
• Documenting the damage itself through photos of your home, specifically in areas that may have sustained damage
• If possible, taking pictures of the hailstones that have hit your home. Have a ruler or some other measuring instrument next to the hail to provide proof of the size of the stones.

How Modern Can Help Fix Your Damaged Roof

In temperate Australia, hailstorms tend to be quite damaging. An older, more weathered roof is more susceptible to damage. The condition and materials of the roof covering can improve the resistance against hail. If even one tile is missing, the entire roof structure is susceptible to water damage and internal flooding.

Modern specialise in roof restoration helping homeowners to protect their biggest asset to stand the test of time. We’ll show you options that hold up to hail and high wind situations. We only deal with the finest quality materials to ensure your roof lasts increasing the micron thickness with our Roof coatings.

Modern Roof Restoration replaces damaged tiles, re-beds capping where necessary, and applies flexible pointing to all capping. This maximises the protection against future cracking.

Modern’s 40 years experience in the market place, a name synonymous with trust

If your roof has been damaged by hail or storms, contact the team at Modern to see how we can help you.