Replacing Shingles
In an ideal world, a high-quality roof would remain solid and sturdy forever. All homeowners would love to have to only put one roof on their house, or, better yet, to purchase a home with a forever roof and never have to worry about it. Unfortunately, no such roof exists. While certain materials may provide extended life, most roofs have shingles as the outermost barrier, and over time, shingles will fail. Many people, while aware of this fact, may not know what to look for when trying to determine if their shingles need replacing. A great many signs exist, but there are several common signals that require attention.
One of the easiest issues to recognize is a shingle that has been moved. A uniform row of shingles can be disrupted by poor installation, wind, ice, nail popping, and/or age. If a shingle or a group of shingles is cockeyed or slanted, water can easily get into the roof and work its way down. Some shingles can be pulled away completely, which can begin a domino effect of entire rows and sections to be lost.
Two other issues are curling corners and blistering. The corners of shingles may curl due to age, wind, or poor installation. This effect is easy to notice as the lower corners literally begin to fold and curl upwards and inwards. Blistering shingles have bubbles that have formed due to heat, excessive sunlight, general aging, and/or lack of proper ventilation. The bubbles expand the surface area of the shingle, thinning it out, which results in less and less strength and can eventually become a tear.
A fourth set of issues often comes with aging. Included in this are shingle fraying, tearing or shearing, and discoloration due to algae or loss of granules. Often, recognizing shingle fraying or tearing requires close inspection. The shingle will have a rip on an edge, or the surface material has deteriorated so that it resembles stringy cotton strands. Algae results in a blackening effect. The loss of granules, which get removed by water, ice, wind, and/or walking on the roof over time, can cause a lightening of the shingle color; this can also cause any of the prior concerns, such as tearing, fraying, or moving, to result.
If experiencing any of the above issues, or if one is unsure, it is always a great idea to contact Fusion Roofing and Restoration to inspect the roof and provide a valuable and honest judgement for the best possible outcome.
