Asphalt roofing has become one of the most popular materials for homeowners because it is easy to install and provides several years of quality protection for your home. However, in the Orlando area there is a risk of big storms and when hail and heavy rains come through, it’s important to know how to spot damage to your asphalt shingles so you can repair it right away and avoid long-term issues.
Inspection
The best way to identify hail damage on your Orlando roofing is to inspect whenever a major storm comes through the area. It’s important that you get on the roof to inspect the shingles up close rather than just glancing from the ground. Things you are looking for include:
- “Bruises” on the shingles or areas that are darker than the rest of the roof
- Excessive loss of granules from the asphalt shingles (collecting in gutters)
- Dents or cracks in some of the shingles
- Dents in metal flashing
- Missing or loose shingles
If you are not comfortable getting on the roof, you can call an Orlando roofing contractor to help perform the inspection.
Repairs
Once you identify hail damage, the first thing you should do is hire a roofing professional to come and make repairs. You might be able to make some minor repairs on your own, but it’s best to have the help of an experienced Orlando roofer to ensure that you don’t miss something that could eventually become a leak or could weaken the roofing support structure.
Insurance Claims
An Orlando roofing contractor can also help you go through the proper procedures for filing an insurance claim. Make sure if you do spot hail damage that you involve your insurance right away because you’ll have a better chance of proving that the damage occurred as a result of the storm. Unfortunately some hail damage can be particularly hard to spot, especially from the ground, so many homeowners fail to notice it until several years later when it’s much too late to file a claim and the roof has sustained considerably more damage over the years as a result.
Rather than risking the health of your asphalt shingles, call a roofing contractor right away to inspect and repair any damage caused by hail storms.