We were taking a look at a home today on one of our free estimates and came across a common issue. This gutter has nearly an inch of roofing granules in it coming from a defective shingle. Once the roof has deteriorated to this point there is really no point in discussing a repair. You can notive this kind of problem by looking directly into the gutters, such as in this pictures, or even at the bottom of the down spout you will begin to see them flowing out.
This is what the shingle tends to look like when it has lost the majority of its granules. At this point the shingle backing is taking all the abuse and they become very brittle quickly. You have to watch closely because with the sun beating down at them it is only a matter of time before they crack and allow water to leak in behind them.
When the damage continues to progress the shingles start to curl and separate giving the roof the nice appearance you see in the picture above. The roof is not just excited to see you here, it has reached the end of its life cycle.
It is common problems to occur where the gutters dump directly on to the roof. When your new roofing system gets installed make sure they tie the gutters into each other to avoid this problem. It is as simple as extending the downspout or using an elbow in the proper place.
Proper gutter system
Water naturally runs into the valley so this is where you will typically see the first signs of damage. It is important that your next contractor installs a closed valley system with the seem as high as possible to prevent any future issues. They should also use ice guard because of all the ice damning problems we have in Michigan
You may not see what is happening beneath the shingle but once they start to show signs of deterioation the wood underneath rots quickly. Leaks only occur inside at the point at which the wood has absorbed so much water that they can no longer hold it. Think of it like a sponge, the wood can only hold onto so much water. Mold problems are sure to follow and once it starts it is very difficult and expensive to take care of
This article will be continued in part 2!
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