3 Ways The Asphalt Shingles On Your Roof Can Be Damaged And Need To Be Repaired
Replacing shingles is one of the more common types of roof repairs you may need. Shingles can be damaged on new or old roofs, and keeping up with repairs helps your asphalt shingle roof have a longer life. If you're a new homeowner, you might not realize all the ways shingles can be damaged. Once you realize the threats your roof faces, you'll understand why you need to monitor your roof regularly for damage. Here are three ways roofing shingles can be damaged.
1. Tree Branches Might Scrape The Shingles
Trees that grow too close to your house can be a nuisance. While it may not look like low branches are very close, once the leaves are weighed down with rain, the branches droop and scratch the shingles when the wind blows.
The scraping knocks off granules and it might even lift shingles or knock them off. A roofer can replace the shingles damaged by trees, but you'll also want to keep your trees trimmed so they are far away from your shingles.
2. Storms Can Lift Or Damage Shingles
Asphalt shingles can stand up to typical winds and small hail during storms, but when winds are excessive, or when hail is large, your roof can be damaged. Shingles might be lifted up, especially when nails are backed out. Lifted shingles can be blown off. This type of damage might be spotty, so your roofer will only have to replace a few shingles.
Hail can create more widespread damage when the stones are large and pound on the roof. The impacts can dent or crack shingles. The same might happen due to flying debris in a storm. Check your roof for damage after a big storm just to make sure your shingles survived unharmed, and if you see dark spots or missing shingles, call a roofing contractor.
3. Walking On The Roof Wears Out Granules
You can walk on an asphalt shingle roof periodically without causing much damage, but if you or someone in your family makes a habit of walking around on the roof, your shingles could wear out faster. The granules might get worn off, and the granules are necessary for protecting the shingles against sun damage.
If your home is built so your teens have easy access to the roof and they like to sit up on the roof in the evening, they could be harming the shingles. A roofer can fix this problem by replacing the shingles, but you may also want to keep your teens off of the roof.
For more information, reach out to a local roof repair service.
