by United Roofing MN | Aug 2, 2011
Roofing MN | Minnesota Roofing Company If you’ve had hail damage and are considering replacing your shingles, you might want to consider an impact resistant shingle. Impact resistant shingles are slightly more expensive than standard architectural shingles because they’re thicker, heavier and come with longer warranty coverage. Roofing MN – Impact Resistant Shingles Some insurance companies offer premium discounts if you install Class 4 impact resistant shingles, which may offset the added cost of the shingles, and lessen the risk of future roof hail damage. Check with your insurance company for details. However, it is important to note that even though impact-resistant shingles can lessen the risk of hail damage, most manufacturer warranties do not cover hail damage even for shingles that pass the UL test. Select a Roof Cover For Your Home That Will Perform Better in High Winds and Hail Storms Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has the most demanding standard for testing the impact resistance of shingles. The test determines the amount of stress a newly manufactured shingle can withstand without cracking. Here’s how it works: Steel balls of various sizes are used to simulate the force of free-falling hailstones. The steel balls are usually dropped from 20 feet. The steel ball hits the shingle at 90mph and comes to an instant stop. This is a higher force than most hail that hits a roof. The shingles are struck twice in the same spot to test impact resistance. A rating is assigned to each shingle (Class 1, 2, 3, or 4) to signify resistance to a particular size steel ball; the higher the rating, the greater the impact...
by United Roofing MN | Jul 1, 2011
Emerging Research and Impact-Resistant Roofing Minnesotans are no stranger to severe weather. Whether it’s snow, hail, rain, or wind, our roofs take a beating. After a brutal winter, we are now entering the rain and storm season, which means hail and tornadoes. Hail is a peril that threatens all but a handful of states in the United States, but it doesn’t strike all areas equally. Since 1980, the country has averaged 3,000 hailstorms a year. Officials estimate that up to 40 percent of all homeowners insurance claims result from hail damage. While the Midwest and Great Plains states have the most hailstorms, Colorado has the most storms with large-size hail (diameter greater than 1.5 inches). So even though Colorado has fewer storms, the storms that occur cause more damage. Impact Resistant Roofing Lost in these large numbers is the number of repeat claims — resulting in payments to the same customers for the same type of repairs from the same type of hailstorms. There are some areas of the nation’s hail belt where homes have been reshingled two and three times during a 10-year period. While a hailstorm usually strikes a relatively limited geographical area, there are parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska where hailstorms average six strikes a year or more. Clearly, the same houses are exposed to these storms. They are likely to receive damage. As a result, home insurance coverage in these regions has become expensive. As premiums rise, both insurers and their policyholders become concerned. To help combat rising premiums, insurance companies look for ways to prevent future damage. They also look for ways...
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