Shingles are your roof’s first line of defense, and the roof protects the house, which makes shingles critical to your house’s integrity. Thus, shingles that blow off the roof risk all kinds of damage to your house. Know why shingles may blow off the roof and how you can mitigate the damage.
Why do shingles blow off your roof? Here are a few reasons.
Foot Traffic
Foot traffic causes shingle damage in several ways. For one, too much foot traffic can loosen the nails (particularly on hot days when the shingles are soft). Secondly, floor traffic can break the shingles, and the broken pieces can fly or fall off the roof. Such damages typically occur when people go up the roof to inspect it or to install things such as communication antennas.
Amateur Installation
Professional roofers understand all about shingle installation, and they are unlikely to get it wrong. DIY installers may make mistakes that increase the risk of shingle blow-offs. For example, your shingles will be weak if you don’t know how to nail them in the correct positions. Shingles can also be weak if you let them overhang too much over the edge of the roof.
Poor Quality
Although most shingles come with standardized quality, some shingles still manage to come out of the factories with defects. For example, if the asphalt is of poor quality, the shingles may not stand up to frequent weather fluctuations. Such shingles crack easily and can blow off the roof at the slightest wind.
Accidental Damage
Accidental damage to the roof can come in various ways. For example, extremely strong winds can rip off even properly installed shingles. Extreme storms can also uproot trees or break tree branches, and the broken trees can crash on your roof, damage the shingles, and make them susceptible to blow-offs.
Aging
All shingles age with time and asphalt shingles rarely last beyond two decades. As shingles age, they lose their adhesiveness and elasticity. The aged shingles can easily crack or fly off the roof when subjected to wind forces. In fact, one of the telltale signs of a house in need of a replacement roof is when shingles routinely fall off the roof.
Underlying Roof Damage
Lastly, underlying roof damage may also cause shingles to fly off the roof. Maybe your roof has experienced water leak in the recent past, and the support structures are corroded and rotten. Underlying damage may also be present maybe you didn’t strip the old shingles off the roof when you replaced the roof, and you didn’t know about the hidden damage.
Preventative Measures
Here are a few measures to prevent shingle blow-offs:
Whether for repair or installation, ensure only professional roofing contractors work on your roof. The professionals will ensure proper nailing and placements of shingles to avoid blow-offs.
Buy roofing products from reputable companies to reduce the risks of bad products. Contact the roofing company for remedy if the shingles fail while the roof is still under warranty.
Trim trees around the house so that their branches don’t fall on the roof. Remove weak trees before they fall on the house accidentally.
Confirm that the roof support structures are structurally sound before you opt for a shingle overlay during roof replacement. Avoid frequent traffic on the roof; only let professional contractors climb up on your roof to reduce the risk of damage.
Hopefully, you will manage to keep the shingles on the roof where they belong.
Contact Seagate Roofing and Foundation Services if shingles do fall off your roof. We will diagnose the cause and fix the roof before the damage intensifies or spreads.