The Life Cycle of Roofing Systems

Everything ages and looks different over time and your roof is no different. You may not be able to tell if there’s any damage from your drive or lawn, but there may be noticeable blistering or cracks once you’re on a set of ladders cleaning the gutters. Even a year old roof can look markedly different from a newly installed one due to it being exposed to climatic extremities. However, if your roof is still providing protection, it’s likely to be purely cosmetic damage and there’s no real cause for concern or to go changing the shingles.

There may not be special creams to rub into your roof to prevent natural aging, but it is worth your while taking the time to examine your roof to ensure you’re comfortable with its normal aging process. After all, a roof is the most important part of your home in protecting you against the elements.

Your roof bears the brunt of the most extreme of weather conditions throughout the year. Scorching rooftop temperatures can be 50 to 75°F above ambient temperature during the summer, and it’s not just the relentless baking rays that weather your roof. The sun’s ultraviolet radiation can also degrade and speed up the aging of your asphalt shingles. In fact, apart from the protective layer of colored granules you see on shingles, there’s nothing stopping the quick wear and tear of the shingles on your roof. Degradation is also increased by other things such as moisture, air pollution and random factors such as roof traffic, hail, snow and ice and falling tree limbs. Seasonal weather changes such as thunderstorms can cause roof deck contractions as the heat is replaced by a colder front. This expansion and contraction also places a huge strain on the shingles with the process repeated yearly during the summer months.

Despite climatic conditions that lead to the shortening of a roof’s lifespan, internal problems such as poor ventilation can lead to increased moisture that causes deck movement and deterioration, thus affecting the shingles on the roof outside. It’s impossible for a roof to have a good day in terms of the weather. Continuous exposure to the elements means the degradation and aging process begins as soon as it’s installed.

What are the signs of a roof's natural aging cycle?

Curling: Natural hardening occurs over time with asphalt once the secure embedded granules break away. You may have even seen them in your gutters. Layers of asphalt begin to shrink as hardening advances and are, in turn, countered by reinforcements in the roof shingles themselves. It isn’t something you’ll be able to watch daily as it’s a gradual process, but a situation develops where both the coatings above and below begin to shrink while the shingles remain stable. This may result in curling, which is more commonplace in organic shingles and is part of the normal weathering process.

Surface Cracking: Part of the normal aging process of asphalt can be the occurrence of surface cracks due to the oils that make asphalt flexible drying out over time due to heat. As the shingle becomes more brittle along with roof deck movement, surface cracks are more likely to appear.

Blisters: When shingles’ minimum ventilation requirements aren’t met, natural weathering can cause blisters to appear on the surface of the shingles. This ‘bubbling’ may be small or large, exposing the asphalt or not.

Staining: We’ve all seen the dark-colored streaks on the sides of houses with shingles of a lighter color, which most people mistake for things like dirt, moss, tree debris or soot. Often, algae growth can be the cause of this change in color and is found on all roof systems, not just light-colored ones.

Asphalt and Shingles

One of the main ingredients of a roofing shingle is asphalt. Firstly, it supplies the waterproofing element to the roof as well as holding the colored granules in place. It also maintains the strength of a shingle. Because asphalt is a petroleum derivative, it contains oils that make the shingles pliable and flexible. During the course of a shingle’s lifetime, these oils naturally rise to the surface and get washed away by the rain. The cycle continues as new oils take their place and more rainwater washes them away. Extreme roof heat also causes the asphalt to harden.

While a new roof wins many admirers when first installed, research has shown that aging occurs shortly after the shingles are installed and increases rapidly during its initial ‘curing phase’. In this part of your roof’s life cycle you’ll maybe notice granule depletion, the formation of small blisters and a slight curling at the edge of the shingles. This curling may be more noticeable in cold weather while the shingles remain flat during the warmer months. But, once this initial phase is over, there’s a long period of slow aging, which continues for the majority of the natural life of the shingles.

Once your roof has “settled,” its aging begins to slow down. The “mid-life” period still sees granule loss or cracking, but it’s far less noticeable. The aging process only begins to accelerate again once this long mid-life period is over, which is when most people consider a replacement roof.

Usual signs of weathering may signify a more serious problem in certain types of shingle. A weak reinforcement might be to blame if cracks appear across a typical three-tab shingle as it threatens the roof’s waterproofing ability and should be dealt with as soon as possible.

For the appliqué-style shingle, on the other hand, cracks that are restricted to the unreinforced decorative appliqué are the result of normal weathering and do not compromise the long-term performance of the roof system.

Exposed Asphalt on Roofing Shingles Due to Granule Loss

Large patches of granule loss can expose the asphalt underneath a shingle causing early failure due to the sun’s UV rays penetrating it. Check with your homeowner’s insurer for instances where hail has damaged large areas of your roof causing loss of granules as shingle life expectancy can be greatly reduced by UV radiation penetration. Visible asphalt due to open blisters on shingles can also be a sign that your roof is at higher risk of premature failure.

Please note that while your shingles may show similar signs to those outlined above such as cracking, blistering and balding, it doesn’t mean you have defective shingles. Early shingle failure can be caused by many variables outside the control of the manufacturer.

Hopefully, you should now be more informed to identify the normal aging process that occurs with an asphalt roof. If you’ve seen signs that your roof may require immediate attention, please don’t hesitate in getting in touch with us at E.R. Roofing Company and we’ll be happy to give you our considered professional opinion.