defective shingles?

[John Dirks Jr]

The 1979 ranch has obviously had a new covering put on. The shingles are the fiberglass base type.

The first thing that caught my eye was some areas of physical damage like holes torn in the top layer. I then spotted a nail pop or two. Upon closer look at the nail pops I found the shingles lifted right up from lack of adhesion. Then, on the back side I found the attic power vent on and blowing shingles up with the exhausting air. Also, the kickout portion of flashing under the power vent is covered with shingles.

I wanted to get this report done tonight but I'm concerned about how to respond. I'm thinking it might be possible that the shingles are defective due to lack of adhesion which could make them subject to wind damage.

Are any of you aware of this problem with any specific roofing materials such as the ones pictured?

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[inspector57]

Obvious the nails are improper depth holding at least some of the shingles up.

I could not tell if the nail placement was on the sealant strip from you photos. Was there a sealant strip present on these? Usually the problems I see are with installation not from manufacturing defects. Also wind born debris and dirt can contaminate the sealant before the shingles get warm enough to self seal.

[John Dirks Jr]

The sealant strip must be poor on these if the attic fan can blow them up.

I'll have to play this one safe and call it out for further investigation by a qualified roofer.

[Brandon Whitmore]

Could be a lot of things, most likely a combination of issues.

The inadequately imbedded nails will hold shingles up slightly. Then, wind gusts start popping shingles free. Then, debris can contaminate the seal tabs, or seal tabs could just be old enough that shingles would not self seal any more.

I'd just write up the improper installation of materials, the fact that shingles aren't sealed down as they should be, and call for a roofer.

I don't know what caused the deterioration in the couple of shingles (exposed matting). It doesn't look like pressure washer damage. Pressure washers have been know to break shingle tabs free as well.

[Chad Fabry]

I'll have to play this one safe and call it out for further investigation by a qualified roofer.

Oh stop now. Report what you saw.

Many nails are under-driven and the adhesive on the shingles hasn't adhesed. Additionally, some of the shingles were abraded/over bent/ twisted during installation leaving the waterproof mat exposed to sunlight. Crappy shingles thrown down by crappy installers is an issue that results in dramatically reduced roof life. Don't expect a 20 or thirty year life cycle. Rather, expect multiple repairs as shingles are blown off the roof.

You can extend roof life by hiring someone to set the under driven nails and to plop two dabs of adhesive below each tab but it may be prudent to throw in the towel and start over. Even though the roof is fairly new, I have no confidence in the assembly.

[John Dirks Jr]

Not a bad write up Chad. Especially since you wern't the one who inspected.

I reported what I saw in about the same amount words that you wrote. Not the same words though. Then, I referred it to a qualified roofer for further investigation.

[kurt]

Adhesed?

[Chad Fabry]

OK, I made that part up.

[kurt]

I kinda liked it.

The rest of the write up was about what I'd say. Probably shorter.

Run down a short list of the most severe defects, tell them it's lousy, it won't last, and to have a roofer fix or replace it.

[Tom Raymond]

It's broken. Here's why. Don't hire the guy that installed it to fix it.

I like adhesed, and frequently use 'adhese' to describe the act of adhesing.

Tom

[GrantJones]

I prefer adhered. Adhesive adheres.

On a side note, did the shingles still have the plastic strip covering the tar strip on the bottom side of the shingles. Some roofers save time by leaving that 2" wide plastic strip in place since the shingles usually still melt together pretty well. But the ones that take the time to remove that strip sure leave a much better roof in place. These guys look like they didn't have a clue what they were doing.

[Chad Fabry]

On a side note, did the shingles still have the plastic strip covering the tar strip on the bottom side of the shingles. Some roofers save time by leaving that 2" wide plastic strip in place since the shingles usually still melt together pretty well. But the ones that take the time to remove that strip sure leave a much better roof in place.

Grant, the plastic strip is to keep the shingles from sticking together in the bundle. It doesn't line up with the glue strip when the shingles are installed. Most of the strips I see say "do no not remove" on them.

These days, more and more shingles have the glue on the overlaying shingle and no plastic strips at all.

[GrantJones]

I hadn't installed any that said Do Not Remove on them. Good to know, though. Thanks!

[fyrmnk]

FYI, I just built an outbuilding and roofed it, and they too said to leave the plastic strip in place in the manufacturers instructions.

[inspector57]

It is NEVER required to remove the plastic strip that keeps the tar strip from sticking to the next shingle in the package. This crap is from inspector lore that needs to be debunked every time it is repeated. It makes inspectors look stupid to cite something that is so utterly wrong.

[Jim Katen]

It is NEVER required to remove the plastic strip that keeps the tar strip from sticking to the next shingle in the package. This crap is from inspector lore that needs to be debunked every time it is repeated. It makes inspectors look stupid to cite something that is so utterly wrong.

Thanks for being the bad guy so I didn't have to.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Brandon Whitmore]

It is NEVER required to remove the plastic strip that keeps the tar strip from sticking to the next shingle in the package

My buddy had a client that refused to let him install the shingles with the plastic strips still installed, so the owner paid him an hourly wage to remove each and every piece..............