2nd part
Read here 1st part: ASPHALT ROOFING SHINGLES: INSIDER TIPS (1)
Exposure to rain
It seems oxymoron to recommend protection of asphalt shingles from rain, doesn’t it?
It is surprising but asphalt shingles depend on the roof slope to bring off their mission with success!!
If asphalt shingles lay flat (zero slope), the water will permeate the asphaltic mass and cause problems exactly as with every porous material.
Exposure to freezing temperatures
Exposure of asphalt shingles to freezing conditions will induce cracking if installation is made under cold temperatures.
Of course shingles will be more prone to cracking if they need to be bent (ridges etc.).
Poor storage conditions: many pallets stacked atop one another
Some manufacturers recommend two pallets high shingle stacks. Others only one.
The thing is that many suppliers due to lack of storage room, store asphalt shingles in 3,4 or 5 pallets high shingle stacks.
This is totally unacceptable, especially when they don’t use plywood panels to separate the pallets.
The weight is excessive and considerable deformations/distortions may occur. These distortions will be dramatic if pallets are stocked outdoors.
When you buy this deformed shingles, it’s nearly impossible to achieve a nice, flat appearance on your roof. Deformations will be apparent if not conspicuous and the phenomenon will be rather irreversible.
It is also probable that some self sealing strips will not be activated due to lack of contact.
In case of high temperatures the shingles will stick to each other, becoming thus unsuitable for use.
TIP no 2
Check the age of shingles
As we have already remarked asphalt shingles age while stored.
Organized suppliers rotate the stock and they don’t keep shingles for more than one year. One year is – let’s say – a safety margin for the use of shingles. If they are stocked for a biggest time span their quality is compromised. This compromisation could be severe depending on the storage conditions.
Check the adhesive label or the imprint on the bundle wrapper and you will find the production date. Asphalt shingles should be preferably used within 12 months from the production date.
However, if the storage conditions are impeccable, this time span could reach 24 months, which is very important for all non moving items (special colors and shapes).
TIP no 3
Beware of color variations
Asphalt shingles from different lots have usually distinguishable color variations (shadings).
This is despite the improved blending procedures that many manufactures use for the blending of different nuance granules.
If you have a big project, make sure that you buy asphalt shingles from the same lot. Make this crystal clear to your supplier that you won’t tolerate shadings especially if your project is of great aesthetical importance and highly visible.
Another thing you have to do is to check if there is enough stock to cover your needs in case of unforeseen events.
A prudent action is to buy some bundles more and keep them for future interventions.
It is most probable that you won’t find supplementary material when you will need it and this may be for a thousand reasons.
End of 2nd and last part
Chris Strogilis
Civ. Eng. – MBA – DipM
http://maconwaterproofing.blogspot.com/
Civil engineer with postgraduate studies in MBA and Marketing
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