Hail Damage and HAAG Certification
Feb
When a roofing company is HAAG certified, you can be confident that the highest quality expert is evaluating your commercial roof and residential roof for roof hail damage. What is HAAG certification? It is a protocol to assess roof hail damage. The HAAG protocol includes a definition of roof hail damage, a roof inspection for hail damage, and a calculation method to determine roof repair or roof replacement.
According to HAAG Engineering, roof hail damage is determined by two factors:
#1 Did the hail affect the long-term service life of the roofing product?
#2 Did the hail affect the water shedding capabilities of the roofing product?
When both of these factors are present, the roof is considered to have hail damage. HAAG Engineering provides training and certification for both roofers and insurance adjusters. A HAAG certified roof inspector has extensive training in hail damage assessment and testing. Peak to Peak Roofing is a HAAG Certified Inspector.
Asphalt is Water Soluble
Most people do not know that asphalt is water soluble. An asphalt shingle contains three components: Asphalt, Fiberglass, and Granules. Asphalt allows the shingle to be a water barrier. Fiberglass is the substrate that the asphalt adheres to. Granules protect the asphalt from UV rays and give the roof color.
How Does Hail Damage a Roof?
When hail strikes a roof, the granules on the roof shingle are blown off. The fiberglass mat is broken, and the asphalt cannot allow water to pass over the shingle. This means that water runs through the asphalt shingle and leaks into the dwelling.
After a big hail storm, a large number of granules are missing from the shingle, the UV protection is gone, and the asphalt breaks down very quickly, especially in the Colorado sun. Colorado has a high desert climate. The way asphalt shingles are manufactured, roof hail damage can happen more quickly because of the Colorado climate.
Hail Damage and Expansion and Contraction
Colorado has extreme temperature variations, and that affects the integrity of an asphalt shingle. Sudden and extreme temperature changes cause expansion and contraction. If the fiberglass in the asphalt shingle has a hole from roof hail damage, that hole will quickly become a big problem when you factor in the expansion and contraction from temperature fluctuations. The rate of asphalt deterioration is exponential compared to other areas in the US due to expansion and contraction.
If you have roof hail damage, a leak might not be detected right away, so it’s important to get a roof inspection from a HAAG Certified Inspector as soon as possible. This time of year is the worst for roof hail damage. Peak to Peak Roofing has HAAG Certified Inspectors, and we work with insurance adjusters to provide an accurate and thorough hail damage roof inspection. Contact us for more information.
