Your asphalt shingle roof can only take so much, even if it's designed and manufactured to protect your home from the elements for decades. Most homeowners contend with numerous missing shingles that a recent storm blew off. Your asphalt shingles may have lifted and gone missing due to the various factors we have listed below.
Age
Aged asphalt shingle roofs are prone to getting some pieces blown off after a strong hurricane. A 20 or 30-year-old roof would endure much more damage than a newly installed one, even if it had proper installation and maintenance. Old shingle joints have deteriorated seals that loosen their grip and are easily lifted off the roof by strong winds.
Installation Issues
Manufacturers have a set of guidelines and checks that the roofers they certify must follow to the dot for a proper installation. It also allows them to cover these newly installed roofs with their lengthy warranties. If you hired a roofer who did not get any certification, you would get a poorly installed roof with loose shingles prone to going missing.
Strip Problems
Roofing contractors must nail the shingle on the narrow nailing strip of the shingles above it. Nailed too high, and the shingle would get blown off easily. Sometimes, the seal strips might also have its own issues. It might not have set properly, made from poor materials, or your local weather disrupted the way it set after installation.
Green Country Roofing has a detailed guide on how to avoid blown-off shingles from your roof. Learn more about it below.
Watching your roof shed shingles can be frustrating and annoying. It’s important to contact a roof repair company as soon as you notice this happening, as missing shingles can leave your roof susceptible to the elements. Keep reading to learn more about why your roof may be losing shingles.
LOSING SHINGLES IN A HIGH-WIND EVENT
Yes, it’s obvious that winds are the cause of shingles blowing off the house. However, the reason why could be traced back to a high-wind event. A high-wind event might not blow shingles off immediately but can simply lift shingles up separating the seals of the shingles known as mastic, or the shingles can pull through the nails that are supposed to hold them in place. If you have experienced a high-wind event of 60 mph or higher in your area—often associated with some thunderstorms, a straight-line wind, or a tornado—it’s possible that your roof has experienced the beginnings of wind damage. After the mastic separates or shingles pull through the nail, shingles are more vulnerable to blowing off as a result of any kind of wind event, even at much lower speeds.
LOSING SHINGLES THAT ARE LOW WIND-RATED
This one is simple. The wind rating for shingles starts at only 60 mph. Here in Oklahoma wind speeds reach 60-70 mph at least once or twice each year. Three-tab shingles have the lowest wind rating of all shingles and are most susceptible to blowing off. If your shingles have a low wind-rating, this could explain why shingles are blowing off your house.
LOSING SHINGLES DUE TO POOR INSTALLATION
It really doesn’t matter if it’s a shingle roof, a kitchen, or even a vehicle when things are installed improperly, problems will occur. How can shingles be installed improperly resulting in blow-offs? The answer is “nail placement.” If shingles are not nailed in the common bond area or are nailed too far from the edges, shingles then lose the ability to withstand high winds.
LOSING SHINGLES DUE TO A WINTER INSTALLATION (Continued)
Slavin Home Improvement is a company dedicated to excellent roofing installations, replacements, and repairs. Many homeowners in your neighborhood trust us because we only bring the highest quality possible in every project we work on. Call us today to get a roof that lasts for decades and protects you from the elements.
