Should You Repair or Replace Your Roof? 4 Factors to Help You Decide.

Choosing between a repair and a full replacement is a big deal for any homeowner. We only recommend replacement when repairs are unreliable or risky. Here is how to tell what your roof is really trying to say.

4 Indicators It Is Time To Replace

1) Shingle Wear

Shingles are made of a fiberglass base, coated in asphalt, and then covered with colored stone granules to protect the asphalt from wear and tear from exposure to the elements. Over time, those granules slowly wash out of the asphalt. How fast this happens depends somewhat on the quality of the shingle that you buy, but typically this happens between 25 and 35 years after installation here in the Southeastern PA area. ASTM has done extensive testing on this, which you can read about here. This timing is largely dependent on local weather. More storms, or more direct sunshine causes this to happen faster than places with more moderate weather.

Once the asphalt is exposed to the sun, that will break down quickly and then expose the underlying fiberglass matting. When you can see the fiberglass showing through, it’s a strong indicator that the shingles are going fast and the system should be replaced.

2) Widespread Sealant Failure

There’s a tar adhesive strip on the back of each shingle, near the bottom. I talk about this in my video review of roof rejuvenation products currently on the market. This tar strip adheres the shingles to each other, keeping the fasteners covered and the shingles tight. As the shingles age, this adhesive strip becomes less and less effective. Sometimes, there is widespread, premature failure of the tar strip, which means that the shingles will flap and blow off in windy conditions. While replacing individual shingles is an easy repair, once it starts happening, it’s very likely to keep happening across the roof as things go from bad to worse. So, if the shingle tar strip is failing, you would be better off replacing the roof instead of sinking money into repeated repairs.

Not to say that repairs aren’t possible! In the case of sealant failure, it is possible to hire a roofer to go throughout the entire roof, resealing each individual shingle with new roof cement. I would do this if I could confidently say that the shingles themselves would otherwise last for at least 10 more years.

Usually, if you’re having shingles blow off your roof from time to time, this is likely the source of the problem. You should contact us to schedule an inspection. We can help you determine whether it’s better to do a repair and seal the shingles one by one, or whether replacement might be better.

3) Nail pops and fastener issues

Small bumps across the roof usually mean nails have pushed up and are rusting. Fixing one or two is fine. Seeing many means a system wide issue that keeps coming back.

Why do nails back out through the shingles over time, you ask? If a roof attic is not properly vented, the heat and cold cycles cause the roof decking to contract in cold, expand in heat, and warp/break down over time. This, in turn, causes the nails to start popping out of the decking and out through the shingles. It’s bad for a few reasons:

• Loose nails mean loose shingles, and loose shingles don’t stay on the roof!
• Nails back out through the shingles, creating holes for water to get through.
• Nail pops like this cause the shingle tar strip sealant to break loose.

Again, an issue like this can be repaired on individual shingles without much ado. But also, a nail pop here and there is indicative of a system-wide problem, so doing repairs is kind of like an expensive game of whack-a-mole over time.

4) Age

Most asphalt shingle roofs last about 30 years. Yes, we’ve seen shingle roofs over 40 years old. We’ve also seen roofs that are trash after 20 years. So we give 30 years as the point at which you should definitely be thinking about replacement. This gap in longevity is due to:

• Quality of the shingles (they’re not all created equal)
• Weather conditions (scorching sun every day, or frequent strong storms will take a toll)
• Pitch of the roof (a low-pitched roof is more susceptible to wind, snow, and ice damage over time)

So if your roof is near or past that 30 year mark and/or showing damage, putting more money into repairs is a risky bet. You are postponing a replacement that is already close.

When A Repair Makes Sense

We like helping our customers be smart with how they approach their roof expenses. If your roof is under 20 years and the issue is isolated, a repair is usually a win. Stuff that we repair on roofs all the time include things like:

• Cracked pipe boot seals
• Failed step flashing
• Loosening counter flashing
• Cracked/missing caulk on flashing
• Poorly performing, or leaky ridge vent
• Leaky chimney flashing
• Leaky skylights

Quick Comparison Chart

Why An Inspection Matters

Most of these problems are not visible from the ground. Many people do not realize there is an issue until a ceiling stain shows up. By then the damage can be expensive. A quick, professional inspection catches small problems before they turn into big ones.

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