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Bracken Engineering eNewsletter
Inaugural Volume, Issue 1
The Bracken Engineering eNewsletter is a bi-monthly email newsletter intended to give our clients and friends some insight into the engineering community. Our focus is to provide helpful tips and useful guides on the engineering issues we encounter most frequently. We hope you enjoy our newsletter and please let us know if you would like to see a specific topic covered. This weeks article...
Roofing Issues & Updates: Evaluating Shingle Roofs
Stephen R. Towne, CBC - Building Envelope Project Manager
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How much service life do you have left in your shingle roof system? When was it installed and when should I begin to consider replacing it? Our harsh Florida climate takes its toll on roof shingles. Daily elevated temperatures, the relentless ultraviolet energy of the sun, and summer rain storms, subject roofing shingles to a continuous beat-down.
Wear gloves when doing your shingle evaluation! Asphalt shingles will heat up an average of at least 50 degrees above the ambient temperature when exposed to the suns radiant energy for an extended period of time. Thus during the hot months the rooftop temperatures will likely exceed 140 degrees, this serves to prematurely age the shingles, or accelerate hardening of the asphalt filled-coating material. The asphalt filled-coating is the waterproofing component; severe hardening will cause premature failure.
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Get up there and look. There are several things you
can look for to help determine the state
of your shingle roof. Are the singles curling at the corners? Are
the shingles brittle? If the
corner beaks off immediately when you turn
a tab corner back, the shingles are probably "cooked".
Also check the status of the seal strip, which seals the shingle tab
to the shingle beneath and protects the shingles from wind uplift.
Are shingle tabs easily lifted or do they remain bonded to the shingle
beneath? If tabs are easily lifted, the seal has dried out, is covered
with debris, or the seal strip is obstructed by the fastener nails.
These shingles will be susceptible to wind pressure and will likely
be torn off.
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Lastly check the state of the granular coating. The granules
are there to protect the asphalt filled-coating and provide aesthetic
value. Do the shingles have bare spots? Can you see areas where the
black filler is exposed? These are indicators that the surfacing has
been depleted or worn off, therefore promoting further degradation
of the substrate material. Waiting too long may result in water intrusion
and damages to the wood framing.
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