What is a Brittle Test
A Brittle Test can make the difference between getting a new roof and getting denied by your insurance company.
On roofs that have borderline hail or wind damage, it is important to perform a brittle test in order to determine whether or not the roof is repairable.
During a brittle test and the shingle is loosened at its lower edge from the shingle below it. it is then raised and lowered 45 degrees three times.
If the shingle develops a crack in it during the test, then the shingle is too brittle to be repaired. If the shingle does not develop a crack, then the shingle may be repaired.
The shingle pictured above did not pass the brittle test. The first time it was raised, the crack at the top formed. By the time the shingle had been raised and lowered the third time, it had broken loose. In this case a repair is not sufficient.
For roofs with borderline damage, the typical approach is to merely repair the damaged shingles. In a case where the damaged shingles cannot be repaired, the roof must be replaced.
At Caliber we always ask the adjuster to perform a brittle test in the case of marginal or borderline damage.
