Reasons Why Roof Shingles Come Off The Roof

When a roof is installed, homeowners often expect them to last for years without encountering any problems. A roof is often warranted for up to or over thirty years, giving homeowners confidence in it. However, external factors can result in roof shingles coming off a roof. So when shingles come off, it becomes necessary to understand the reason behind the phenomenon. This will help homeowners take preventive measures to avoid the occurrence of the same situation in the future. This blog offers a guide to some of the reasons why roof shingles come off the roof.

There are numerous roofing problems that buildings get exposed to. With our nearly two decades of experience as a Raleigh roofing company, we have noticed that depending on the roofing structure, common ones include the following:

When sourcing roof shingles, it is important to purchase quality shingles of the right type from trusted manufacturers. Shingles are designed to resist impacts that a roof is subjected to on a daily basis. However, weak and low-quality shingles can easily be blown off a roof by an external force such as wind. Therefore, one of the main reasons why shingles come off from roofs is the installation of low-grade shingles by a contractor.

Typically, shingles are designed to remain intact on roofs under normal winds. However, the weather is always unpredictable. Some regions may experience extreme winds, which could damage or blow away quality shingles from roofs. These winds can go extremely high, beyond what manufacturers design shingles for, and there is no chance the roof can stay intact in such cases.

Flashing gets the installation done in the roof’s weak areas to protect connections like skylights and chimneys. The flashing material gets made of aluminum, plastic, or steel, and the connections are left vulnerable to moisture and water when it cracks. When adequately attached, you stay stress-free from any problems around the connections area.

Another reason roof shingles come off the roof is the poor installation by roofing contractors. This is often experienced when a homeowner sources inexperienced or lowly-rated roofing contractors to carry out roofing in a bid to save on cost. This makes your roof susceptible to collapse over time. Unfortunately, this always results in catastrophic results since the shingles are subjected to easy wear and tear. This is so because they can easily come off even in average weather conditions such as normal wind and cause a roof leak.

Walking on a roof is another reason that can cause damage to shingles. The weight of humans can damage shingles since most of them are not designed to carry such weights. More so, on hot days, shingles expand and become brittle. When a person walks on them, they expose them to breakage. 

Shingles are designed to last for a period of time. This is often referred to as design life. When roof shingles exhaust their design life, they become weak. The asphalt used will dry out and starts to crack. Additionally, the shingles start to bend and become uneven. At this point, a slight trigger, such as wind, could easily result in shingles coming off the roof.

Like many constructions, roofs require periodic maintenance. This is important since a homeowner can identify any faulty section of a roof and repair it before the problem increases. Unfortunately, when homeowners fail to invite reputable roofers to carry out periodic maintenance, a problem with a single shingle can expand and affect other shingles. In the end, this can result in shingles falling out.

Shingles are a critical part of a roof. They must be installed professionally, monitored, and repaired on time when needed. Above are some of the reasons that could result in them falling off a roof. Understanding these reasons is essential for homeowners to find the best solution to rectifying the problem.