What Causes Granule Loss on Shingles?
Shingle granules are going to shed off your roof, it’s normal wear and tear. Knowing the difference between normal granule loss and abnormal granule loss is the main topic of this article Shingle granules are often called “grit” and have three purposes.
Provide UV protection for the shingle
Provide the actual color for your shingle
Amidst the color granules are copper granules, they keep the roof clear of algae and moss for a period of time
The life of a shingle is a pretty tough one. Imagine the punishment it endures throughout the year. Every Winter the freezing and thawing action is prying on granules and the shingles themselves. Heavy rain that erodes top soil is doing whatever it can to your roof on the outside and ultimately trying to find a way inside Wind is looking for any weakness in the tar strip or poorly nailed shingle and expose it. We haven’t even gotten to the hail yet! Here’s a separate article on what that can do (currently working on this article). What’s troubling is as much punishment as a roof takes, many times it gets the short end of the stick. Cheap shingles cheap labor The real cost of a cheap roof will shed some light on this subject
A brand new roof will shed shingle granules just after install. Granule loss is expected. The photo below shows granule loss that needs immediate attention. This roof was 16 years old.
An example of granule loss in the gutters that is excessive and will require the roof to be replaced
This is what the roof actually looked like, the shingle granule loss was tremendous
What Causes Granule Loss?
Granules are imbedded in the asphalt as the shingle is being manufactured. Premature granule loss starts occurring usually after 10 years. The shingle begins to dry out and the bond between the asphalt and the granules gradually break down. Granule loss happens over time or can be accelerated by weather. Snow and ice can displace shingle granules like it can displace concrete. Pea sized hail with some wind behind it, can sandblast your roof zapping a few years off easily. Just having light weight shingle can start the process faster than normal as well. A light weight shingle is missing a little bit of everything including granules and asphalt. Think of it as a kids craft project with minimal glue and glitter! Get the idea! Which Roofing Shingles are the Best will also hone in on this.
Granule Loss will show up in the gutters or down spouts - Gutters collect everything which you probably know already. When looking in gutters for granules understand that it may give a false impression of how bad the damage is. One whole side of the roof is draining to them. Repeated build-up in the grass where the downspout outlet is may tell a better story.
Granule Loss can often be seen from the ground - It can come across as blotchy areas or can appear as being white. The white is the fiberglass mat showing through.
My Job is Looking at Roofs - We work local and chances are I can be near your home at any given moment. Give us a call or reach out via the chat box below and we can document what’s happening and determine if the issue is normal or severe.
Granules are the Sun Block for Your Roof, Make Sure They are Intact!
We don’t glue granules back on, but we can tell you how much time your roof has left. Being up front and honest is why we keep busy!
Give us a call and we’ll take a look so you don’t have to!
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