Summer has drawn to a close, and we’re rapidly nearing the May to September period considered the coldest months in New Zealand. When this happens, we dig out our warm clothing, heaters and electric blankets and arm ourselves with umbrellas when we leave the house. Once June arrives, we can also expect plenty of rainfall as well as hail.

This time last year Auckland was hit with several unexpected and violent hail storms, characterised by massive, damage inflicting hailstones. When these storms strike, you’ll seek shelter under your roof – but what will your roof itself have to deal with? Here’s advice from Archer Roofing’s Auckland roofing contractors about hail’s impact on your roof and what you can do to deal with the damage it might cause.

What Does Hail Damage Look Like?

You won’t be able to deal with hail damage if you don’t know how to identify it in the first place. While it will have a noticeable impact on your vehicle by denting its body or cracking its windows and windshields, it will impact your roof a little differently. You’ll need to consider the size of the hail and the wind speed. Larger hailstones will cause damage, but smaller ones impacted by severe winds could cause even more damage as they hit a surface with more force.

If your roofing material is aluminium or asphalt, it will likely be dinged. If these dings have resulted in a loss of granules, created a shiny mark or are soft, you might need to replace them. Wood or vinyl will crack when hailed on, and you may need urgent damage repair if the cracks are discoloured, dented along the split, or have a clean or sharp edge.

If you inspect your roof and find that your roofing material looks dull and brittle, has started to blister and flake or is developing mould or algae, the passage of time and wear and tear is more likely to blame – and not the storm.

In both situations, you’ll need to enlist expert assistance to determine what to do next.

Repairing Hail Damage

Now that you’ve established that you have a hail damaged roof you can contact an Auckland roofing contractor to help you fix the damage. Remember to contact a licensed company like Archer Roofing so that insurance covers the repair work fully.