They are unitized, fairly lightweight, and easily laid down by the hundreds. Shingles for your roof are marvels of manufacturing, but like everything humanmade, they sometimes need repairing. The beauty of shingle roofs is how shingles can be removed and replaced without disturbing the whole roof. There are two scenarios of times when you should repair roof shingles: when the weather is good, and when your shingles are damaged.
When the Weather Is Good
We cannot always pick and choose a time for shingle roof repair, but seasonally, the best time for repairing roof shingles is spring and summer. Fiberglass-asphalt shingles are made with soft asphalt bound up with strong fiberglass. Granules of colored stone are embedded in the pliable asphalt.
A shingle roof becomes a slippery, treacherous surface with a glaze of rain on it, so roofers will not work in the rain. Everyone wants to return home after a day’s work, rather than make a trip to the ER, including roofing crews.
Because shingles are heat-sensitive, they become brittle in cold weather. For most purposes, this is not an issue. What do shingles do for most of their useful life span? They sit flat on the roof of your Missouri home. Yet during installation, highly trained roofing crews handle the shingles, curling and sliding them about on your roof. For that, the shingles must be installed in warm weather.
In addition, the backs of shingles have a pliable adhesive strip which remains soft in warm weather, allowing a complete seal from one shingle to the next. In cold weather, this adhesive does not activate readily. Your shingles have to wait until warmer weather and then will soften just enough to snuggle down, one on top of another, to provide a complete seal. Your warranty does not activate until this warmer weather happens.
As we said, we cannot always pick a bright spring day for shingle roof repair. Sometimes we have no choice. A roof may need attention in late fall when heavy rains bring water infiltration. A roof may need attention after a heavy winter storm, when a crashing tree branch breaks through shingles, underlayment, and sheathing.
Experienced roofers like the good folks at Bill West Roofing can perform repairs just about year-round. The work may not be as easy as when the sun is shining and the temperature is climbing, but it can be done.
So, if precipitation and cold temperatures rule out shingle roof repair work, when can it be done? Periods of spring, summer and early fall when several days of warm, dry weather are anticipated, you can expect to see roofing crews busy. Whether installing new roofs or repairing existing shingle roofs, those crews make good use of fine weather.
When Roof Damage Needs Immediate Attention
Sometimes your roof makes decisions for you. Water dripping on the heads of guests in your living room? You need shingle roof repair. An old, rotted limb drops onto your roof and dislodges half a dozen shingles? You need shingle roof repair. When to repair roof shingles depends not just on weather, but on the shingles’ condition.
Shingles are sturdy enough to survive 15 or 20 years on a typical Missouri home’s roof. Yet a few things can happen which need immediate attention:
- Broken or missing shingles
- Worn-out shingles
- Dislodged shingles
- Hail-damaged shingles
- A leaking roof
- Damaged flashing
- Failed or decayed underlayment
Odd things happen, too: rodents, birds or insects can make a hash of an otherwise fine shingle roof. Someone from another building trade — carpenters installing skylights, satellite television installers — can unintentionally damage a shingle roof.
Rambunctious tweens and teens, sneaking out dormer windows or retrieving Frisbees from your roof, can cause damage.
How Shingle Roof Repair is Done
Because they are unitized, shingles can be replaced alone or in small groups without greatly disturbing the rest of your roof (the “field”).
A master roofer will carefully remove the damaged shingle or its remaining portion, remove roofing nails, and inspect the underlayment. A new shingle matching the existing color as closely as possible is then slid into place and attached. Care must be taken to gently curl the existing shingles up to do some of this work.
Ask your roofer for a realistic assessment of the damage. You may find a new roof is a more economical choice than repeated or extensive repairs. When the time is right for a new roof, trust the same roofer who handled the replacement since they will know your roof better than anyone else.
Whether you need repairs or a new shingle roof, please contact us at Bill West Roofing. We are ready to help with your Missouri home, whether you need a minor shingle roof repair or a whole new roof.