Monday, May 28, 2018

So, is your roof leaking?


 












Q: Tim, I’m beside myself. My expensive asphalt shingles that have a 30-year warranty are less than 10 years old and starting to curl. I see lots of roofs around me doing the same. I never recall observing this type of defect in all my past houses with asphalt shingles. Did I get a bad batch? What’s going on? –Charlie, Raleigh, N.C.
A: Do your curled shingles look like the asphalt potato chips up on Charlie’s roof? Guess what, it happened to me. My own 30-year-warranty asphalt shingles started to fall apart in nine years and suffered a catastrophic failure just a few years later.

Asphalt Roof Failure



[...] My research indicated the problem is happening all across the USA. In my opinion, it appears many of the shingle manufacturers are blowing too much air into the liquid asphalt at their factories. You need to blow some air into the asphalt, just enough so the black brew doesn’t drip from your roof on a hot summer day.

But blow too much air into the asphalt and you pre-age the shingles. Imagine opening a fresh pack of shingles only to discover they already have twenty, or more, years of wear built into them. It sounds like you got some of these poor-quality products.

I discovered something that can save you and millions of other homeowners billions of dollars. While doing research for “Roofing Ripoff,” I discovered that copper ions react with asphalt molecules, slowing down the aging process.

It’s been known for centuries that copper prevents algae and moss buildup on roofs and ship hulls, but I was the first to recognize copper can make asphalt shingles last 40, 50 or even more years! How cool is that?

You just have to put a 12-inch wide roll of very thin copper on top of the cap shingles that run across the ridge of your roof and any hips. The copper dulls down to an attractive medium nut brown in as little as four months so you don’t even see it. [Full]

Resonates here because we had a new 30 year roof installed 4 years ago (and covered with solar panels a year later).  MoSup has been finding  small bits of shingle on the ground of late, so this triggers stuff. 

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Had my roof reshingled 4 years ago too. Still looks good. However my well pump just shi* the bed. 250 feet of hose, pump & wire, I'm too damn old to pull it again.

Anonymous said...



Now what?
The number one question I've always had about putting Solar
panels onto a roof.....what happens when the shingles need
replacement?

Waiting here. . . .

Geo

Chris in NC said...

I replaced my shingles with metal. Makes for much nicer temperatures in the summer.

Whoopie said...

I've heard that zinc also works like copper. It prevents moss from forming on the edges of the shingles which leads to curling. I believe you can buy chemical sprays that contain zinc or copper salts but you have to retreat the roof every year or two.

MAX Redline said...

I got a shingles vaccine, so I should be good.

MAX Redline said...

^Geo: solar panels supposedly last 25 years, but output declines, which is why many companies "give" you the panels after 20 years, making you responsible for removal and disposal of hazardous waste (like gallium arsenide). Once you pay for removal, you can have the house re-roofed.

Hell_Is_Like_Newark said...

Removing the asbestos also reduced shingle life. I used this product on my pitched roof:

http://ecostarllc.com/product/majestic-slate/

Almost 18 years in use and no deterioration. Much more expensive that asphalt.. but worth it.

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