Three Lies You’ve Been Told About Your Roof Shingles
In the roofing industry, homeowners are told a lot of things about shingles that just aren’t true. The three major lies you hear about shingles are:
- They have a 30-year guarantee
- There’s a new line that’s fungus and algae-resistant
- The best way to clean your shingles is to use bleach or a high-pressure hose
We’re going to debunk these myths, and provide a few viable solutions for the best possible roof care.
Shingles Do Not Have a Guarantee
Shingles come in various classes of lifetime guarantee. For example, you have the 30-year shingle, the 25-year, the 40-year, and lifetime – the manufacturers manufacture them in those segments. The truth is, a 30-year shingle will not really last 30 years. The expected service life of a 30-year product, if properly cared for, is approximately 25 years.
If it’s not cared for properly, that 30 year shingle will only last 12 to 15 years. That’s one of the big misconceptions in the roofing marketplace. And the manufacturers know that their warranties are so watered down, they have very little call back.
There’s No Such Things as an Algae-Resistant Shingle
There’s more algae on roofs today because manufacturers use crushed limestone within the shingle as a filler so they don’t have to use as much asphalt. Since asphalt is an expensive, petroleum based product, they try to minimize it by using more crushed limestone.
This then creates another issue. Manufacturers today are selling shingles that are called fungus resistant and algae resistant. But this really only holds up within the first two years—it’s completely prorated out within a two-year period. And it’s misleading to the homeowner because, by the second year, there’s nothing left on the warranty. Of course, this is right around the time when you’ll start to see fungus.
There are, however, simple solutions to solve the fungus problem, which leads to the third issue…
The Best Way to Clean Your Shingles
This fungus is called gloeocapsa magma. It’s a simple fungus that grows on the back side of a tree. It also grows on your roof and attaches to the shingle. It lives on what little oil is in the asphalt and it also really thrives on the crushed limestone, which creates all of the dark streaking on your roof.
One of the reasons people think they need to replace the roof is because they see this dark streaking and assume that it’s dirt or asphalt bleeding through. Most people don’t realize that this fungus attaches to the roof and causes damage over time. And by the time they do realize, it’s too late.
Gloeocapsa magma can be removed safely with some environmentally friendly products that are out there. Most products contain bleach, which is not environmentally friendly and will damage the roof. Many roofing contractors also attempt to remove the fungus with a pressure washer. They set a high pressure hose and to a low setting and force the fungus to detach. However, that pressure causes additional damage to the roof. You don’t want to use any type of pressure on your roofing shingle.
Save Money Through Proper Roof Maintenance
You’re going to replace your roof sooner than later. But you’re going to get roughly half the service life out of your roofing system if you don’t maintenance it. You have to maintenance a roof just like your maintenance your car with changing your oil.
Bob Vila sums it up best. He says inspect the roof routinely, clean it periodically as it’s needed and make minor repairs in a timely way and you can greatly extend the roof’s lifespan.
It certainly saves you money.
Where to Get Help with Roof Repair and Inspection
Any licensed roofing contractor should be able to help with roof repair and inspection. But you need to be careful with who you trust and ask certain questions. For example, does that roofing contractor provide maintenance programs? If a roofer doesn’t offer a maintenance program, a package that they designed to take care of your home, that’s a pretty good indication that he probably doesn’t even do repairs.
Roof Revivers is happy to answer questions, take a look, and offer our help in any way. This is what we specialize in. Our company doesn’t even do roof replacement because we feel there’s a conflict of interest. We strictly specialize in repairing and maintaining roofs to maximize their service life.
We provide a thorough and detailed inspection for absolutely no cost! Give us a call today at (614) 907-7353 — let us know you read this article and what you thought about it.
