Asphalt shingle roof

[weebl]

I live in Edmonton, Canada and the house I own was built in 2001, still with the original asphalt roof. The shingles installed are the "three tab" like this:

Winters here typically see a fair bit of snow, but not normally lots. Temperatures routinely drop to -30C/-22F and can on occasion dip as low as -40. There can also be freeze/thaw, as there can be winter days where it warms up above freezing.

Summers on the otherhand can reach +35C/95F or beyond. Summer thunderstorms with wind, driving rain and hail occur frequently.

Most of my roof looks typical for its age, with slight curling just starting. This includes the main roof over the house, as well as the portions that extend over just the first floor covering the north facing garage and front porch.

The problem area is the south facing back porch, and the roof extending over a portion that juts out on the first floor where the deck is. I suspect there is no ventilation there, as it looks like the curled shingles in this picture:

Regardless of how it got like that, that section is toast. The rest of the house can probably last a few more years, though.

I've only just returned to work earlier this year, after being laid off for close to a year. While I'm thankful I didn't have to replace it then, the timing now still isn't ideal. I know the best solution is to replace it all, but what about buying another year before I have to do it?

Could I possibly coat the offending roof section with this or a similar product to get me through winter?

Finally, when I do actually get a roofer to come, whether it needs to be now, or delayed until next year, I know that I will want to replace with this style of shingle:

but, what exactly do I want to look for in terms of what the contractor is offering to do, materials used, etc?

 

[bepperb]

Nobody will want to do 3 tab shingles anymore, the labor is more difficult and the added price of architectural shingles is offset by the reduced labor. I wouldn't paint anything on curling shingles. Is there water getting past them or not?

It's difficult to say what you need, you may need a tear off of old shingles plus new sheathing, maybe you just have one layer they can go right over. Either way you need the ventilation problem solved first.

 

[SHOZ]

Make sure the new shingles have a fiberglass mat and not the paper.

 

[JMJNet]

I live in TX with a recent hail damage issue.

After researching about shingle, you may want to get at least a 30 yrs warranted (not 3 tab) shingle.
Equivalent to GAF Timberline HD.

The underlayment is also as important.
There is something called "Ice & Water Shield" which is essentially a sticky underlayment with some sort of rubbery silicone surface that is suppose to melt and seal the surfaces under the shingles in addition to the felt paper.
In TX, the good roofer use them on the valleys where 2 surfaces at different angles meet together.
However, from what I have noticed that they don't use that Ice Water Shield with the 3 tab shingle.
In other words, if the homeowners are using 3 tab shingle, the don't take too much care in the installation and do it as cheap as they (the roofer) can.

 

[sleddriver]

YIKES! What you have are potato chips....crispy potato chips. They'll shatter as soon as you walk on them. Given that, any coating you put on top will also come off.

If you absolutely cannot reshingle ASAP, then think about a silver tarp held in place with gallon water jugs tied with rope, freely hanging over the roof eaves.

 

[MNgopher]

If its not leaking now, even with the shingles curled up, I'd leave it as is. You know it needs to be replaced, so make plans for it.

I was in a similar spot. Rode the old shingles for two years until my hand was forced when a windstorm flipped a bunch of them. Neighbor is still riding his - look like garbage, but it still is waterproof.

Down the road, you want an Architectural shingle. Brand name is less important than the install quality. Not sure if you have storm chasers like we do here, but you are much better off finding a long term, local company, even if the cost is a bit higher.

Code here is no overlays - the old layer would have to be removed. Your area may be different.

And you definitely have a venting issue that needs a solution before you replace anything.

 

[weebl]

Thanks, as far as I can tell, there are no leaks right now. Nothing has made it through to the ceilings inside. If I can't scrape up enough funds to tackle this before winter, then I will probably try the tarp thing.

Probably wouldn't hurt to start getting quotes to have some idea what I'm dealing with.

 

[Wolf359]

You can usually fix a section that's leaking with just the roofing tar you mentioned earlier. GAF now has a lifetime warranty on what used to be their 30 year shingle. I've seen some 3 tab roofs in bad shape and they still last a few more years. Problem is that by the time you actually notice a leak, it may have done some damage to the boards underneath the house. Depending on the area, they may let you go over the roof once so that you have 2 layers, it's usually about 1/3 cheaper. That lifetime GAF warranty is only if a licensed GAF installer puts it on, the warranty varies based on who puts it on. The tarp thing is when there's a leak and you don't have the funds, then you just see a house with blue tarps over certain sections.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

I would leave it as-is before I'd try to cover it with roof coating.

We have Owens Corning architectural shingles on our house. They were installed 20 years ago and came with a 50 year non prorated warranty. When they were installed, a representative from Owens Corning was on site to make sure they were installed correctly for the warranty. We've never had a leak, never had an ice dam, and never had a single issue with them. They still look like new.

Roofing is a system that works together, starting with balanced ventilation. Make sure any ice/water barriers and underlayment are the best you can afford-quality is less expensive in the long run. Don't use a fly-by-night roofer; find a company that has a good reputation and stands behind their work.

A good roofing company will go up into the attic as well as on the roof when they give you a quote. They'll look for any signs of water penetration, mold, mildew, ventilation issues and wood rot. It's possible that you may end up needing some roof sheathing as well.

 

[SZR48207]

As gopher suggested the bigger problem here is the attic venting being inadequate where the shingles curled. You need to fix that before or at the same time you fix the roof or your shingles will just curl again.

Are ridge vents acceptable in Canada? That would be something the roofers could do while they strip all the old off.

 

[tc1446]

How large an area is it where the severe curling occurs? If not too large, I'd be tempted to walk over the curled area to break off all the curled up stuff, sweep that off, and then put on a heavy coating of the Roof Seal. You'd have to get all the curling off so that the Roof Seal will be a solid coat.

 

[weebl]

I have no clue if ridge vents are legal here. I've never noticed them anywhere before, but then they're designed not to be that noticeable, either. Would't work for that section, anyway. It is just a small slope that sticks out from the side of the house. No accessible attic there. Sort of like the roof on the right side of this picture over the garage door, but on my house, this is where the kitchen table and door to the deck is:

I do remember when I was a kid, the roofers my dad hired improved the ventilation (wasn't too bad in that house, but wasn't great either) by cutting holes to install this sort of vent.

I imagine one or two of those would solve the issue there. The problem doesn't seem to exist on the other roofs of the house.

 

[weebl]

Originally Posted By: tc1446
How large an area is it where the severe curling occurs? If not too large, I'd be tempted to walk over the curled area to break off all the curled up stuff, sweep that off, and then put on a heavy coating of the Roof Seal. You'd have to get all the curling off so that the Roof Seal will be a solid coat.


Quite a small area, actually. If I had a brush on a long handle, I could reach everything from a step ladder, moving it left or right only a couple of times and be able to get the whole thing. My guess is about 12 feet wide, and sticking ot of the side of the house about 10 feet. This section is completely independent of the main roof, and the other two secondary roofs on the other side of the house.

 

[Wolf359]

It all boils down to the slope of the roof. If you have a shallow slope, rain and snow doesn't come off that easily and they tend not to last as long.

Not sure how prices are in Canada, in the US, pricing is done by the square or 100 square feet. A strip and re-roof can be in the $300-$400 range per square, but some of the pro companies can really be up there, as high as $500-$1000 or whatever the customer is willing to pay. 12x10 is about 120 square feet so you probably won't find anyone willing to do that for the $300-$400 square price. You can do one section at a time if you like, some people do one half of the roof as usually one side faces the wind/sun and wears more than the other side, but if you have a ridge vent, you'd have to rip off the caps and redo them when you do the other side, it could be a few years before you end up having to do the other.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: weebl

I imagine one or two of those would solve the issue there. The problem doesn't seem to exist on the other roofs of the house.


Just adding vents won't solve the issue if the area doesn't get proper air flow. Air has to get both in and out-that's why roof vents and soffit vents work together. Those box vents are rarely used around here-everything has moved to ridge vents over the last 20 years or so, unless it's really poorly done construction. Again, contact a quality roofer who knows what they're doing and can tell you the best way to vent the area.

 

[MNgopher]

Nothing inherently wrong with the box vents. The main reason that overhangs like we are talking about didn't get them is for a few reasons - being cheap to start with, and then, particularly if its facing the street, a desire to not have them on the roof face on the street side for appearances. On top of that a ridge vent won't work in this situation -there is no "ridge".

The porch on our house is similar - the original install did not have any venting, and it was one of the locations that failed first. Popped one box vent in AND added some venting in the soffit on the underside, and so far so good.

 

[BrocLuno]

I'd do a home-owner tear-off on the curly parts and just use 3-tabs for those section as an interim fix. In a few years, I'd do the whole roof. You can prolly install a second roof over reasonably good 3-tabs. If you get the bad ones off now, the replacements will still be good when you re-roof.

Add some vents while it's torn-off.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: MNgopher
Nothing inherently wrong with the box vents. The main reason that overhangs like we are talking about didn't get them is for a few reasons - being cheap to start with, and then, particularly if its facing the street, a desire to not have them on the roof face on the street side for appearances. On top of that a ridge vent won't work in this situation -there is no "ridge".

The porch on our house is similar - the original install did not have any venting, and it was one of the locations that failed first. Popped one box vent in AND added some venting in the soffit on the underside, and so far so good.


The reason the box vent isn't that good is because it really vents only one "bay" so to speak. The trusses of the roof are usually every 16 or 24 inches so the box vent only vents that single 16/24 inch bay, some heat still gets trapped in the other bays that don't have any ventilation. When you have a ridge vent, it vents them all, assuming you have air flow with soffit vents.

 

[ecotourist]

Agree you need to solve the ventilation problem first.

When we lived in Edmonton I had to install a roof vent on a small jut-out. The original builder (in 1998) had neglected to do it. Not too had as a DIY project, especially with asphalt shingles. Look it up on youtube. I had to do mine on a shake roof and that's a whole different matter.

Make sure there is a clear pathway between the soffit space and the (presumed) attic space. I had to put in new baffles to get the soffit vents communicating well with the attic space. You want to set up easy ventilation to keep the roof cool in summer and cold in winter.

When you install new shingles be sure to put a high quality water stop membrane along the lower roof. In our house in Winnipeg we ended up with water (presumably) flowing through nail holes in the not good enough membrane. We had ice dam problems that I couldn't stop due to the type of framing (balloon construction, popular in the 1920s).

Finally appearance only counts for so much. In a previous Edmonton house we had terrible looking shingles that never leaked. In our Winnipeg house we had great looking shingles that leaked.

 

[ecotourist]

An important question we haven't considered is how is your roof constructed. Is there an actual attic space between the roof and the ceiling or does your ceiling follow the rafters (a so-called soaring ceiling)?

In my situation I had a small attic space - no more than 4 or 5' high at the highest.