When Should Roof Shingles Be Replaced?
What do shingles do for a roof?
Here in the State of Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia, we get an array of weather throughout the year. When your home has shingle roofing, that array of weather can destroy it. Sometimes quickly with hailstones and high winds or it may be slowly over time with UV rays beating down on it. Either way, as a homeowner, you need to be aware of when your shingle roofing needs to be replaced.
The purpose of roofing shingle is to provide your home a layer of protection. Shingle roofing is installed over a plywood sheath, often referred to as roof decking. The shingles create a seal that is watertight and wind-resistant. Asphalt shingles are the most common, but there are other shingle materials available too:
- Clay
- Metal
- Slate
- Wood
Each of these have a style and each are better in certain climates.
How long do shingles last on your roof?
There are several factors that will determine the lifespan you can expect from your shingle roofing. The biggest factor is the climate and weather conditions your roof is exposed to over time. Hail, high winds, ice, and snow will shorten the life of any type of shingle roofing, some faster than others. Shingle roofing made of copper, slate, or tile can last 50 years or longer with proper maintenance and upkeep. A wood shake shingle roofing will give a homeowner about 30 years, and fiber cement shingles have a lifespan around 25 years. The basic asphalt shingle roofing has a typical lifespan of around 20 years. When it considering shingle roofing vs metal roofing, metal will give you a longer lifespan.When should roof shingles be replaced?
Yes, replacing your shingle roofing is large expense and somewhat of an ordeal. However, it is a necessary part of homeownership and necessary for the health and wellbeing of your home and your family. By failing to act upon the indicators of your roof failing, or ignoring small repairs, is simply setting yourself up for catastrophe on several different levels.How do you know when shingles are going bad?
There are several warning signs that are telling you now is the time to be proactive:#1: Loose, Missing Shingles.
These could because of storm damage, or your roof has reached its life expectancy. Either way, loose and missing shingle roofing isn’t doing your home much good in the way of protection.#2 Blistering, cracking, curling, dried.
When your shingle roofing has blistered, cracked, curled, or dried shingles, this telling you that your shingle roofing has been overexposed to the UV rays of the sun or your attic has poor ventilation that needs to be addressed. Your shingle roofing could be telling it is old and needs to be retired.#3 Sagging shingle roofing
There can be several things that a sagging shingle roofing is telling you. It is deteriorating, it has grown weak, it wasn’t installed correctly to start with, or the ice and snow this past winter was too much. It could also indicate you have some structural issues to address. Address these indicators now before your roof collapses.#4 Dark and Dirty Areas.
When a shingle roofing has dark and dirty looking areas, there is usually missing granules. When granules are beginning to fall off, it is usually because they are old. The dark areas could also be algae, lichen, or moss growing. A professional roof cleaning will usually take care of that problem, but if you don’t get that cleaned off, it will begin eating away at the shingle roofing and lead to roof replacement.#5 Gutters Filled with Granules.
When your gutters and downspouts have a lot of granules in them, your shingle roofing has gotten old. This is akin to humans losing their hair has they get older. When you’re seeing a lot of those granules, it is time to get a new roof.#6 Exposed and Loose Nails.
When the roofing nails are popping out, they are leaving holes in your shingle roofing. This is making your roof susceptible to the weather and water penetration, which is setting the stage for a leaking roof. Time to have a roof inspection done because you either need repairs or replacement.#7 Interior Water Damage.
When you notice you haves water leaking into your home or attic, this is an indication that there is inadequate shingle roofing underlayment or missing flashing. There is probably mildew and mold growing in the attic too. All of this indicates you need a roofing professional to inspect your roof and attic.#8 Damaged or Missing Flashing.
Damaged or missing flashing isn’t protecting the areas intended like around the chimney or in roofing intersections. This needs to be replaced soon before water starts leaking in the shingle roofing.#9 Prime Roofing Age.
If your asphalt shingle roofing is 20 to 25 years old, or was installed over previous shingle roofing, it is time to replace it.#10 Cooling and Heating Bills Are higher.
Inspect and review your attic insulation and ventilation, both are probably insufficient.
How long does a 30 year roof really last?
When you have professional quality shingle roofing installation job by professionals that know how to put shingle roofing on, and the shingles are a quality grade of material, you can expect a service life of a 30-year shingles to be approximately 25 years. If you had poor workmanship on the shingle roofing install, poor maintenance, and upkeep, you’ll get between 12 years and 15 years. Need shingle roofing installation in Macon & Augusta, GA? Call 478-785-2285 today.