Common Issues With Asphalt Shingles

Lake Oconee Boomers

Common Issues With Asphalt Shingles

The average lifespan of asphalt shingles is barely over a decade. However, that’s the best-case scenario; replacing asphalt shingles prior to the 10-year mark is far from being a rarity. Due to how common asphalt shingles are in residential neighborhoods, they still manage to be a popular roofing choice among homeowners. Below, we’ll dive into three of the most common issues with asphalt shingles and how you can prevent them from periodically causing you to stress and spend unnecessary amounts of money on repairs/replacements.

Blistering

Blistering is the act of asphalt shingles bubbling in reaction to moisture being trapped underneath. Eventually, the bubble pops open and leaves a hole, exposing what’s underneath. While this can sometimes be the result of age, the most common causes are improper installation, ventilation, and mixing of the roofing materials.

Cracking

Cracking is the formation of large tears in the asphalt shingles, which can happen for a variety of reasons. First, cracks forming in asphalt shingles can be due to aging. If the cracking is premature, it can be due to a problem commonly referred to as “thermal shock”; intense temperature fluctuations occurring across the roof. Intense winds are also a common cause of cracks, as well as poor ventilation, improper installation, or an error during the manufacturing process.

Curling

As you can see so far, the names for these issues have been self-explanatory. Curling is no exception. Asphalt shingle curling is a situation in which the edges of the shingles begin curving upward. The causes of this problem are very similar to blistering and cracking: improper installation, poor ventilation, thermal shock, and age.

Solution

Now that we’ve gone through three of the most common issues with asphalt shingles, how do you prevent them from affecting your home? The best way to do this is to invest in high-quality roofing materials, preferably metal. If you team up with a contractor who has experience with metal roofing, you can take advantage of their wide range of benefits.

The benefits of metal roofing include energy-efficiency, durability, resistance against the elements, and easy installation over existing shingles. In fact, metal roofing can even save you money on taxes in the long run. So, although you might feel tempted to choose asphalt shingles because that’s the norm, taking the time to choose high-quality roofing materials will result in time and money well-spent.