Hail Damage on Your Roof: 7 Signs North Texas Homeowners Should Check
Dallas–Fort Worth is one of the most hail-prone metro areas in the United States, and most of our hail falls in spring—roughly March through June. After a storm, it can be hard to tell if your roof was damaged. You usually cannot see hail damage from the ground, and a damaged roof often does not leak right away.
Here are seven things you can check safely, without climbing on the roof.
1. Dented gutters and downspouts
Soft aluminum shows hail hits clearly. If your gutters or downspouts have new dings, your shingles took the same hits.
2. Dents on roof vents and turbines
From the yard, look at the metal vents and turbines on your roof. Visible dents are a strong sign of hail strong enough to bruise shingles.
3. Granules at the bottom of downspouts
Shingles are covered in small ceramic granules that protect the asphalt from the sun. Hail knocks them loose. A pile of granules at the bottom of a downspout after a storm is a warning sign.
4. Damage to AC units, mailboxes and patio covers
Dented fins on your AC condenser, a dinged mailbox or a damaged patio cover all point to hail large enough to matter.
5. Cracked or torn window screens
Hail often tears or dents screens on the side of the house facing the storm.
6. Neighbors getting inspections or new roofs
Hail falls in swaths. If several homes on your street are getting inspected, yours was likely in the path too.
7. New stains on ceilings or in the attic
Bruised shingles can crack and start leaking weeks or months after a storm. A new ceiling stain after a hail event deserves a closer look.
What an inspector actually looks for
On the roof, we mark a test square on each slope and look for bruises (soft dark spots where granules are gone), fractures in the shingle mat, and damaged flashing, vents and ridge caps. We chalk each hit and photograph it, so you and your insurance adjuster can see exactly what we found.
Do not wait too long
Many Texas homeowner policies limit how long you have to file a claim after a storm—often one year from the date of loss. Check your policy, and get an inspection while the storm date is fresh.
Schedule a free hail damage inspection or call (469) 269-2964.