Earlier this evening instead of having the regular highveld thunderstorm we were hit by a severe quick and violent hailstorm. This was the start and the hail only got bigger and looked like the size of marbles. My son and I were running around with blankets and towels placing them over the car windscreens.
It is at this point you know how vulnerable you are to natures elements and the solar panels and system I had been meaning to insure popped into my head. This is something I had cleanly forgot about and need to do this urgently. The system I think is perfectly fine and safe unless the roof caves in, but the panels are open to the elements.
Why is it you remember to do stuff like insure things when it could already be too late and this made me chuckle. When the horse has already bolted and you had months to do something, but somehow did not get around to it and totally forgot. This always tends to happen and thankfully is just a reminder that you had forgotten to do something rather important. I have no idea what the insurance cover would even cost monthly so I am now curious to find out and it should not be that much. I don't fancy my odds to try my luck skipping having no insurance for the next hail storm because the luck has to change at some point. The house was hit by lightning twice within two years and the saying lightning doesn't strike twice is not true.
I know we can get some big hail in this neck of the woods and marble sized hail is not going to do too much damage. I am sure the solar panels are tested to with stand this type of beating but not so sure about the golf ball sized hail that happened 2 years ago not too far away from where I stay. Under the right atmospheric climatic conditions and with luck not on your side these can be rather destructive. A shopping center roof caved in from the weight of the hail which is not something you could think was even possible yet it did happen.
Here I was worried about marble sized hail hoping these were the biggest pay load today and they never grew in size. The car above was hit with golf ball sized hail and have seen cars written off for hila damage having too many dents to repair.
The largest reported hail stones were tennis ball sized hail stones and I guess you have to experience this to believe it. I find it hard to believe and my first thought is people have created this by adding a few hail stones together so I am hope they are not true. I have seen video evidence when looking tonight that they are that big so the insurance company will be contacted tomorrow. Very few structures could survive such an intense pounding especially any type of windows as these are monsters.