If your roof is looking shabby, and it is over 20 years old, there’s a good chance that replacement will be your best option. Twenty years ago, shingle science wasn’t as advanced as it is now, so a two-decade old solution is probably nearing the end of its effective lifetime. In many instances where a full roof replacement is necessary, you may initially think that a simple repair will suffice, not realizing the full scope of the damage your roof has incurred over the years.
While roofs are tough—they have to be—they do face everything Mother Nature can throw at them, from hailstones as big as your head to hurricane-force winds battering them with every loose object it can find. These physical assaults tend to be easier to spot, but there are many other contributing factors that wear down a roof over time.
Infrared
Heat can cause considerable damage to your roof, especially in Austin. The sun is a massive source of damaging radiation—and its rays arrive in two different spectrums.
Infrared rays are the source of the Sun’s heat. Flat tar roofs are covered in pebbles so that their light color reflects away some of that radiation. Otherwise that sort of roof would be liquid every hot, sunny day. Over the years, tar would flow from high points to low, reducing the protection. The gravel acts similarly to how tree roots prevent hillsides from eroding.
You have almost certainly experienced a road where a hill facing south turns into ripples because the asphalt tends to flow down the slope as the sun heats it up. The same thing happens to the asphalt shingles over their lifetime. The bottom edge gets thicker while the top of the shingle gets thinner, depending on the pitch (slope) of the roof.
It can take decades for this effect to become apparent so good quality shingles will have at least a 20-year lifespan, with some manufacturers offering warranties for 30, 40, or even 50 years. That’s why Masada Roofing is a “CertainTeed ShingleMaster™” Certified Installer. We obtain certifications in all the roofing systems that we offer to ensure we provide our customers with the best quality service in Central Texas.
Ultraviolet
UV radiation causes a different kind of damage. Asphalt shingles, whether organic (made from paper based material saturated with asphalt) or fiberglass (the same process but substituting glass fibers) would rot away very quickly under the glare of the Texas sun if they didn’t have additional protection. UV breaks down asphalt, as you can see from the condition of our roads, in just a few years.
Asphalt shingles are covered with tiny mineral granules that are not only weather resistant, but reflect away the damaging UV radiation before it can penetrate down to the actual asphalt. Working together, all these components can help a shingle last between two and five decades.
If your roof is showing any signs of wear, it may be time to have it inspected. At Masada Roofing, our experts offer free consultations to determine the extent of the damage and whether a roof replacement is in order. Contact us today to set up your appointment.