There have been many studies over the years on the topic of hail damage to asphalt shingles. Most of these studies have been commissioned by large insurance companies in an attempt to determine thresholds for repair versus replacement. The innate problem is that these studies are conducted in an attempt to minimize the definition of direct physical damage to asphalt shingles so that insurance companies can save money on paying claims. This position leaves many consumers left with damaged roofing systems and a denied insurance claim to replace their roof.
Shingle Manufactures Perspective
Lets start from a manufactures perspective to try find a starting point. Shingle manufactures exclude hail damage from the product warranty and for good reason. Some warranties actually state that if hail over 3/4″ inch impacts the roof that the shingle warranty is void. What do they know that we don’t? We’ll get to that a little later on in this artical.
Insurance Company’s Perspective
Many insurance companies have a much more narrow interpretation of what constitutes hail damage to asphalt shingles. They rely upon a report conducted by Haag Engineering which states that asphalt shingles are not damaged unless the shingle has been punctured by a hail stone!
So we see two ends of the spectrum and the question is who should we believe?
I’m very reluctant to believe the insurance industry’s definition of hail damage because it’s so narrow that it’s obvious they are trying to save money by using this criteria to deny paying for claims.
The components of asphalt shingles:
- Asphalt Mat
- Fiberglass Backing
- Granules
The asphalt mat is the major portion of the shingle and the fiberglass backing is designed to make the shingle more durable and last longer. The granules provide ascetic looks but also provide a very important function other then looks. These little granules function as a part of the external fire resistance feature. The requirements are set forth in the government for surface testing the external fire resistant capabilities of shingles. A shingle must pass this test before it can be sold and installed in the marketplace.
Many times hail will strip the shingle surface of these granules which reduces the fire resistant capabilities of the shingles putting you and your home at increased risk. I would call this direct physical damage, wouldn’t you? But loosing the granules does something else as well. It exposes the asphalt mat to the Ultra Violate rays from the sun. Over time the UV light begins to break down and erode the asphalt mat which reduces the water shedding capabilities of the shingle. Eventually the roof will leak!
What size does hail have to be, before damaging shingles?
There are different positions on this question and we will first address what Manufacturers say. Remember we asked, what they know that we don’t? I have already addressed the issue though. The manufactures know the importantce of the granules and realized long ago that hail as small as 3/4″ can strip the granules off. They protect themselves by excluding this type of damage because they know they can’t control hail storms!
Personally I’ve seen pea sized hail damage shingles because it was driven by very high winds so I prefer to use 3/4″ sized hail as a medium, but not an end all. So in evaluating hail damage we need to consider the element of the storm as well. What size was the hail? Was the hail small but driven by high winds? What angle did the hail impact the roof at? Is there substantial granular loss? Is there bruising or even fracturing of the shingle itself? How concentrated are the damaging impacts over the roof surface?
There are many things to look for in determining the extent of hail damage to roofing systems that will be brought up in future articles. I hope that this article has given you a starting point and something to think about if you have a roof that was hit by a hail storm!
Author:
Russell Hayes
Tags: damaged shingles · hail damage · hail storm · roof damageNo Comments
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