December 2, 2023 | Infinite Roofing & Construction Roofing Blog

Living in an area with hot summers, weather in the north or south, you wouldn’t expect hail to be a major concern but it is more common than you would think. Hail storms can bring tremendous damage to your property, preparing for a hail storm before it happens can help decrease long term damage. The northeast alone has experienced hail storms on over 150 occasions in recent years. It is important to understand that even storms which produce small sized hail can still cause damage to your roof and other items on your property.

After a storm occurs you should call your local roofing contractor for a full inspection to be sure the structural integrity of your roof is still in good shape. For insurance purposes it is important to keep a record of inspections to optimize collecting when necessary.

What should I do after a hailstorm?

Once the storm has passed you should contact your local roofing contractor and set up an appointment for a roof inspection. It may be a few days before they can make it out to you so make sure you keep a record of the date of the storm in case you have to let your insurance company know.

If you are able to see your roof and there is visible damage, try and snap some photos. If you have other items on your property like vehicles, or a grill with indentations from the hailstorm be sure and get photos of them as well. In some cases hail pieces will cause major damage resulting in your roof leaking. If this happens, take pictures and tell your local roofing contractor and insurance agency. When hailstorms happen usually strong winds accompany them so don’t forget to check for damage to gutters, fallen shingles, and even broken windows.

If you have major leaking or broken windows you should contact your local roofing company to handle any emergency repairs. A roofing contractor will address severe leaks and roof damage, if you are not able to get someone out in a timely manner then try and patch the issue for a temporary solution. Make sure you find a reputable roofing company to schedule your roof inspection, oftentimes inspections are free with an estimate especially if your roof needs to be replaced.

Even if you see no obvious damage there could be hidden issues which affect the integrity of your roof. After you have had your roof checked out by the best roofing company in your area depending on the outcome you may need to file an insurance claim. If you have significant damage your insurance company will send out an adjuster to examine your property to assess the damage. If they decide that your claim will cover the effects of the hailstorm, your selected roofing contractor will meet with the adjuster or send them the estimate of what the replacement cost will be.

How to know if you have hail damage:

Check out your gutters, if they have obvious dents that were not there before then you most likely have hail on your roof as well.

It is also a good idea to look at your vehicle and assess any denting from the hailstorm, if the hail was large enough to dent your car then it has definitely affected your roof.

If you have access to viewing your roof easily, climb up and take a look. You might see large obvious signs like large circles from hail balls or just minor granule loss. Hail damage is much more obvious in clay tile roofing.

We also suggest that you take a walk around your neighborhood if you don’t have access to your own roof. If you have a neighbor with the same type of roof material as you, try to see if they have severe damage or not. This can give you a better idea of your own roof’s condition.

Cosmetic Vs. Functional hail damage

The best roofing company can easily identify the main difference between cosmetic and functional hail damage. This is mainly used to determine the differences in insurance claims. The more severe of the two is functional hail damage and this is oftentimes more covered by an insurance company over cosmetic.

Functional hail damage: When the hail damage has resulted in shortening the lifespan of a roof with water shedding capabilities.
Cosmetic hail damage: The lifespan of the roof is not affected or the ability for it to function, the appearance may be altered.

Each type of roofing material will be affected differently by a severe hailstorm. While no roof is damage proof, some roofs hold up better than others. Metal roofing in Albany NY tends to dent and create dimples in a hailstorm resulting in cosmetic damage. Shingle and clay tile roofs can easily crack during a severe hailstorm but it is easier and more cost efficient to replace a few shingles or pieces of clay over metal panels.

How hail size effects roof damage

Hail size small and large can cause damage to your roof, it all depends on how severe the storm was. When the hail balls are about the size of a dime, it can impact your shingles. This can result in a few years taken off of the lifespan. When hail reaches to be the size of a quarter it can break tile and slate roofing material. This will result in moderate impact to your roof. Once the size of hail grows to be as large as a half dollar significant damage is done to your roof.

Hail damage and insurance claims

Review your homeowners insurance and immediately contact Infinite Roofing to report the hailstorm, so we can send someone out to assess your damage. Your insurance company can deny your claim but once you get an estimate it can help your contractor get damages covered. There is a time frame in which you must file for a claim, every insurance company is different but we suggest you file right away.

If you are able to find the hailstones after the storm, grab a tape measure and snap a picture for reference. It is important to use the best roofing company that you can trust to present the estimate to your insurance company. This will give you a more accurate idea of costs and also improves your chances of having the claim approved by your insurance company. With most companies even a small percentage of 25% damage can result in a new roof.

Preparing your roof for a hail storm

There is no way to completely eliminate all damage from a hail storm but you can prepare for one. Be sure to have adequate insurance that will cover you if you know you live in areas prone to hail. If you have regular roof inspections this will be much easier to gauge the actual damage done by the hail storm. Be sure to routinely clean out your gutters and drainpipes to avoid leaking and other damage. If you have a garage and you are aware of a storm coming don’t forget to pull your vehicles inside and any other items you have that are a concern.

When deciding on what type of commercial roofing system is ideal to install or replace on your current commercial roof, there are many options to choose from. For starters, your location is as important as choosing a roofing material. Residing in a warmer place with tropical storms and high temperatures, choosing a roofing material such as metal or EPDM have very different effects. Clay tile roofing is one of the most popular roofing materials, but on a commercial building it may not be the easiest or cheapest choice. When making the decision on which material to choose on a commercial building usually price is the number one factor. So although clay tile roofing is number one the price tag is not, so the next best option is a metal roofing system.

Some other roofing material options to consider for a commercial building are EPDM, TPO, PVC, and BUR. Again always remembering your location and climate to be important factors, each of these materials have many positive attributes and some negative downsides. Most often a commercial building is very large in size and has a flat roof with no slope.

On a large commercial building having a sloped roof would be extremely expensive to build because there would need to be a massive amount of materials and the height it would reach is unrealistic. A roof with valleys, peaks, and other features require more complexity and therefore cost more.

HVAC Equipment: Most commercial buildings have HVAC and other types of equipment located in multiple areas of the roof, because it must be a secure location that is also compatible of heating and cooling, it would be near impossible to install on a sloped roof.

Solar: Becoming more and more common, solar is located on commercial rooftops and it is necessary to have a smooth flat surface. Solar panels are positioned to take the fullest advantage of the sun’s tracking across the sky, a large flat roof is perfect real estate for the large panels. A “flat” roof is never completely flat, it must have a slight slope for drainage.

Built-up Roofing (BUR) systems

The BUR system is a type of roofing that is built on the rooftop by a professional roofing contractor. Layers of synthetic material or felt are put together with hot asphalt or weathering and commonly covered with gravel or other types of stone for more protection. This protects the materials from the UV rays of the sun and other types of weathering. When installed correctly by the best local roofers these gravel surfaces will also provide a high fire rating for safety.

Modified Bitumen Membranes

This type of roofing has evolved from built-up roofing, made from factory manufactured fiberglass asphalt sheets. A “built-up” roofing roll is installed in single layer sheets and sometimes multiple layers. There are two types of modified bitumen that exist and they both have different installation methods. One method includes melting the roofing material on an approved underlayment using an open torch and mopping it down with extremely hot asphalt or a cold cement. Using an open torch can be very risky for obvious reasons including setting not wanted fires on the rooftop.

Modified Bitumen products are in their own class of commercial roofing systems that are called “single-ply.” These single plies are flexible sheets of the synthetic materials that are manufactured from different varieties of compounds that include bitumens, fillers, polymers, stabilizers, plasticizers and many other elements.

Thermoset Membrane Roofing

This is better known as EPDM (ethylene propylene diene terpolymer) is a rubber type of material that provides elasticity on the roof. EPDM sheets are chemically set and manufactured making them difficult to bond. These membranes cannot be softened by using heat so an adhesive is required for the installation process. These systems come in two colors, white and black. A local roofing contractor will use a fully adhered approved substrate to mechanically attach screws and plates to the roofing deck. When doing a re-roof a structural engineer should be consulted to approve the installation of 12-15lbs per sq ft.

Thermoplastic Membrane Roofing

This type of membrane is a PVC or TPO formulation first introduced in the 1960s. Different from EPDM roofing system because it does not set, only softens and “flows,” when being heated. This allows the membrane to be “hot air welded” seaming the material together, it is very light weight and typically comes in only the color white to be highly reflective of the sun’s UV rays. Using the color white results in massive energy savings, depending on the climate the commercial building is in. In warmer locations we highly suggest using white on most roofs when available.

PVC Membranes

Polyvinyl chloride roofing membrane is a popular thermoplastic choice for many commercial flat roofs. This type of roof provides top of the line chemical, oil, and fire resistance and also seamless seaming ability in almost all different types of climates. White PVC membranes are used to be highly reflective because the PVC does not cure on each rooftop, it stays weldable for many years following installation. Another major benefit to PVC over other types of roofing is that it can be installed all year round.

TPO Membranes

TPO was specially developed to combine PVC and EPDM, taking the best qualities of both roofing systems and putting them into one. TPO can have a spotty performance but it has been a fast growing system in the U.S.

Chemical Roofing coating

Choosing a chemical roof coating can be a good temporary option for commercial roofing systems. This can extend the lifespan of a low slope roof and these coatings can be installed on a large variety of existing roof surfaces. It can also be a large energy saver on expenses by reflecting the sunlight and is much less disruptive than a complete roof tear-off to re-roof.

Some ways you can improve your commercial roofing system is by scheduling regular inspections to ensure productivity. It is always wise to make sure you have an annual roof inspection done to catch any issues that may arise. There are numerous ways that a roof can become jeopardized which can lead to water intrusion and damaging the interior of the commercial building. By scheduling annual inspections you are taking preventative measures to avoid expensive repairs. Once you have had your inspection done it’s a good idea to determine the remaining life of your roof. This is important for budget reasons, so you are ot caught off guard when it is time to think about doing a re-roof which is costly.

Be sure you have a reliable upstate roofing contractor that is available for emergencies when needed. Do plenty of research when choosing a local roofing company you can trust and read reviews before hiring. Infinite Roofing of Saratoga Springs New York was built on the principles of trust and integrity. We always treat our customers with respect and give professional service only using quality roofing materials and exceptional safety practices.

Archives for April 2022

Guide to Hail Damage for Homeowners