Thread: Curling shingles

Chicago , five-year-old tear-off, west exposure, poor ventilation (three passive vents 1' below ridge, no low venting). The curling is most pronounced near the eave.

East side (third picture) is fine.

I'm assuming the curling is due to high attic temps but I've never seen it happen so fast on what appear to be good-quality shingles. Any possibility of manufacturing or installation error, or just a a hot roof?

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So the three vents are the only vents in the attic? No soffit venting?

I would say that this is being caused by heat, as it is on the Western slope an not others.

Another thought is that this might be caused from ice. With poor ventilation in the attic, ice damming could be a possibility.

I would also not call a 3-Tab shingle a good quality shingle. They are light in weight and can not take heat and elements like a heaver dimensional shingle can.

Originally Posted by Michael Thomas

Chicago , five-year-old tear-off, west exposure, poor ventilation (three passive vents 1' below ridge, no low venting). The curling is most pronounced near the eave.

East side (third picture) is fine.

I'm assuming the curling is due to high attic temps but I've never seen it happen so fast on what appear to be good-quality shingles. Any possibility of manufacturing or installation error, or just a a hot roof?

Poor ventilation for sure if no soffit vents visible the attic, but could this also be a second layer over the original first, as the roof does not appear to be very flat from where I'm sitting?

"Chicago , five-year-old tear-off, west exposure, poor ventilation (three passive vents 1' below ridge, no low venting). The curling is most pronounced near the eave."

Originally Posted by Michael Thomas

"Chicago , five-year-old tear-off, west exposure, poor ventilation (three passive vents 1' below ridge, no low venting). The curling is most pronounced near the eave."

Ah, thats the problem. The roof is in Chicago

Be cautious with the "hot attic" response. When I was a builder, I thought hot attics would shorten shingle life, but studies, I think, have shown otherwise. (Advanced Energy) Since I'm looking through the site waiting for a child to put to bed, I don't have the time to research, but I'm pretty sure the difference in the heat at the back of a shingle in a well vented attic vs. a poorly vented attic is well less than one degree.

Jeff Mathis

Originally Posted by Jeffrey L. Mathis

Be cautious with the "hot attic" response. When I was a builder, I thought hot attics would shorten shingle life, but studies, I think, have shown otherwise. (Advanced Energy) Since I'm looking through the site waiting for a child to put to bed, I don't have the time to research, but I'm pretty sure the difference in the heat at the back of a shingle in a well vented attic vs. a poorly vented attic is well less than one degree.

Jeff Mathis

Agree 100%..... I probably see 2 or more attics a week with little or no ventilation, particularly at the soffit. I rarely see shingles that look like that, if ever.

I'm not saying a poorly ventilated attic isn't contributing but it's no smoking gun. I'd bet on a defective product or a quirky install (some hack glues down every course of tabs, etc.)

Keep in mind a 3-tab shingle is almost sub-par compared to the industry standard these days. I'd even go out on a limb and say anyone using one is likely to be a lower skilled or infromed builder, remodeler or homeowner and, in turn, more likley to do something dumb during the installation.

I'm not drawing a a straight line conclusion that a 3-tab roof means you're a moron..... just the statistics.

I see curling shingles where moisture and heat combined seem to be the cause. Moisture underneath and heat inside and out. Hot humid underneath and dry above with heat.

Per Haag Engineering ... "a weather-related anomaly"

"curling parallel to the rafter and cupping parallel to the eave"

I don't know about you guys , but that first picture, first course appears to have a different color starter or another layer under it. Could be my eyes?

Originally Posted by wayne soper

I don't know about you guys , but that first picture, first course appears to have a different color starter or another layer under it. Could be my eyes?

.
Wayne,

You EAT the Hom Daen ( not smoke them. )
*but they do look like they have a Light Grey Tint to them!
.

Khun BIlly.
AH, Khun poot pasa Thai duay laa.
Yak gin hom hoy deeee kwah.
Phom bai batet Thai Nov 4
hay loop mah lil duuuuuay

Business sucks now, back in the spring

And i still think it's 2 layers

Originally Posted by wayne soper

Khun BIlly.
AH, Khun poot pasa Thai duay laa.
Yak gin hom hoy deeee kwah.
Phom bai batet Thai Nov 4
hay loop mah lil duuuuuay

Business sucks now, back in the spring

And i still think it's 2 layers

Hmmm. Now that language looks just a little familiar.

Hello,

That damage is due to UV rays. The tabs have a defect. This damage should not be showing up this early in a fiberglass tabs life. The loss of the oils in the asphalt matrix of the tab or insufficient asphalt application has caused shrinkage and the resultant curling. In short not enough UV stabilization in the shingles.

Damon

Yes , improper attic ventilation can accelerate the aging and deterioration of the shingles and I know of all of the other studies out there, but we are not speaking of an air-tight unventilated acceptable situation here, just a severely under-ventilated one.

The shingles look like the former 3-tab organic version from Tamko, called the Reliance Shingle, which would fit for that time period.

Those Reliance shingles failed miserably with prematre curling as depicted.

Thats my best guess, but the manufacturer has their Out in regards to the warranty due to the lack of proper ventilation.

Ed

Poor ventilation and high moisture. Vapor passing up through the walls and collecting on the sheathing at the eaves. Seen it before. Wet crawl space and moisture collecting on the roof sheathing. Defect shingles would not just show up along the eaves.

I would chalk this one up to material quality, or lack of. If these shingles are organic (do they still make those???) that would explain everything. All curling aside, add some soffit vents ( if possible), and replace the shingles in 4 to 5 years with a 30 year laminate.

Frank Suchodolski, High Profile Roof Care Inc.