Asphalt shingles tend to have a shorter lifespan than luxury roofing such as clay tiles, metal roofing, or higher-grade shingles. That's why it's important to care for your shingle roof and maintain it well so it lasts as long as possible. You may not know much about roofing, so it's a good idea to learn what you can or hire a roofer to do inspections occasionally. Here are three situations that could indicate your asphalt shingle roof has a serious problem.
1. Many Shingles Have Dark Round Spots
Dark round spots that look like bruises may indicate hail damage. Hail damage is serious for an asphalt shingle roof because it could ruin the roof and lead to the need for a roof replacement. The key is the number of bruises on the roof. You'll want a roofer to walk over your roof and mark all the bruises so they can be seen easily and be counted. The roofer may even take pictures you can send to your insurance agent.
One important thing to know is the time to file a claim for hail damage has an expiration date, so you'll want to find your insurance policy to find out how much time you have. If you file on time and your claim is accepted, the insurance company may pay for a new roof.
2. Shingles Are Curling Up Along The Bottom
Curling is another sign that could be serious. Curling might indicate your attic needs more ventilation. There might be something wrong with a vent you already have installed, or the roofer may need to install another vent.
The attic needs adequate ventilation so it doesn't get too hot. Shingle curling indicates the attic is overheating and the shingles are too hot and curling because of it. The roofer may need to replace the shingles that have curled edges so they don't get ripped off the roof in a storm.
3. The Shingles Look Old And Bare
As soon as you put a new roof on, the granules on the shingles start falling off. That's normal and nothing to worry about. The granules protect the shingles from aging faster due to sun exposure, and as the granules fall off, your roof starts to age faster. That's one way to tell it's time for new roofing.
If shingles all over the roof look bare and old, it's probably time for a roof replacement. If shingles under tree branches are the only ones bare, your roofer may want to replace them so the shingles don't start leaking. You'll also want to have the tree branches cut back so they don't scrape your roof.
For more information about roofing, contact a local company.
After struggling with the appearance and structural integrity of my home, I realized that I had to do something to make a difference. I realized that part of the issue had to be the roof, since the home had been in my family for years and nobody had ever addressed the roof before. I met with a roofing team to talk about the problem, and they were instrumental in helping me to get things sorted out. After a few renovations, things had really improved, and I felt like things were on the up and up. I wanted to start a blog that focused on finding roofing for your home, so check out this blog.