Asphalt shingles are the most commonly installed roofing material today, as they create a relatively durable and long-lasting roof at an affordable price point in comparison to many other roofing systems.
Used for more than a century by asphalt roof services, the quality of these shingles continues to improve over time.
The variety of shingles continues to expand as well, giving homeowners more style, feature, and color options every year.
What Causes Problems with Asphalt Shingle Roofs?
The shingles installed by asphalt roof services are far from indestructible and they can definitely fail.
The trick to preserving any roof or preventing a need for costly asphalt shingle roofing repair is understanding how they fail and what can lead up to that failure.
- Age - A prime and very natural cause of asphalt shingle failure is advanced age. Each shingle product is designed to last a certain amount of time when proper care is given. As shingles reach their projected materials age, asphalt shingle roof contractors recommend replacing them, as leaks, breakage, and other problems will become more probable.
- UV Damage - The UV rays from the sun backing down on a roof year in and year out contribute to the eventual deterioration of even the best asphalt shingles. As this process is inevitable, many premium materials installed by asphalt roof services have more granules and more reflective protective coatings to slow that damage. Still, over time and simply due to continuous exposure to the weather, those coatings will start to wear off and the UV energy will do more damage, drying out the shingles and making them more brittle and prone to cracking and breaking.
- Moisture - Since shingles installed by asphalt shingle roof contractors may also experience a high amount of moisture from severe storms and light rains to frost and dew in the morning, moisture is yet one more thing that will eventually cause shingles to fail. Moisture can contribute to the wearing down of the protective coatings and granules on the shingles while also making it easier for mildew and mold to grow and slowly disintegrate them.
- Poor Ventilation - A major cause of failure that requires significant asphalt shingle roofing repair is poor attic ventilation beneath the roof deck. An attic that gets too hot can destroy the shingles from the underside, causing them to curl, bow, and buckle, and lose their adhesion, ruining their water tightness.
Asphalt shingles offer homeowners economical, stylish protection for their homes.
When professionally installed by an experienced asphalt roof service, high-quality shingles can last 30 to 50 years depending on the product.
Good maintenance and watching for the above-mentioned problems is the key to avoiding expensive asphalt shingle roofing repair and having a trouble-free roof!