Hire a Reliable Dumpster Rentals Before You Tear-Off Your Roof

Reroofing Asphalt Shingles Roof

Most asphalt shingles should last without leaking for 15 to 20 years. Some last longer – even 25 or 30 years. After about 15 years, however, you might start checking for signs of wear. But don’t jump the gun. There is no advantage in re roofing a house ahead of time – before the shingles have started to deteriorate and years before they are ready to spring a leak.

Reroofing consists of applying new shingles over the existing roofing material. This is less expensive and easier than a tear-off job, which requires that the old roofing be stripped off and hauled away.

Tear-Off or Reroof?

The first step in determining whether or not to reroof is to check the rake of the roof to find out how many roofing layers there are. (The drip edge sometimes is applied before reroofing and may hide evidence of previous layers). Once you determine the number of layers, check local roofing codes for the maximum number of roofing layers allowed – the figure will be different depending on the type of roofing and pitch of the roof. For asphalt shingles, codes usually allow the original plus two layers of reroofing.

All rotten boards under the old roofing must be replaced, Go to the attic and examine any suspicious spots, including voids and separating plywood. Check for rot by poking with a screwdriver or awl. If rot is limited to a few places, you need only remove the old roofing and replace the boards in those spots. Where necessary, build up the roof above the replacement sheathing with extra layers of shingles to make a flush surface for the new roof.
Checking Wear

Here are the four progressive stages of shingle wear to look for. First , you may notice the tiny chips embedded in the surface of asphalt shingles, called granules, accumulating in gutters and at downspout outlets. Second , you will see bare black patches of tar appearing as more granules are lost. This is hard to see on a dark roof, even with binoculars, but obvious on shingles with white or gray surface granules.  Roofs at this stage probably will not leak – not yet. But in a few years they probably will.

In the third stage, exposed sections of the shingles, called tabs, have lost most of their surface granules and start to become brittle. You have to touch the tabs to detect this condition. Within a few seasons, however, the tabs will start to curl noticeably. Even then, the roof may not leak. But now is a good time to reroof – before the curling becomes excessive, and gets in the way of new shingles. In the fourth stage, brittle shingle tabs crack and break. Bare, black patches that appear as the tabs break off are unmistakable.

You also may see nailheads holding down the shingles beneath the broken tabs. At this poing, you are likely to have small leaks that may start to rot the wooden roof deck and rafters even if you do not see large water stains on the ceiling. After all nails put holes in the shingles, and are placed so that they would be covered by those broken tabs.

Here is one more important thing to think over. If you finally come to the decision to tear-off your old roof and reroof it with asphalt shingles or if you decided to change the roofing material you will need to properly dispose of old roofing material.

You may want to consider hire a reliable Waste Hauler and rent a dumpster or roll off container for your waste disposal needs.

Use Dumpster Rentals Cooperative to find an environmentally concerned Waste Removal business in your local area. Whether you are in the US or in Canada you can easily find the local company

For example, depending on your residence location you may consider contacting:

• Sacramento Dumpster Rentals for Roll Off Container Services in Sacramento, CA
•   Calgary dumpster rentals for waste removal in Calgary, AB
• Ocala Dumpster Rentals will provide you with reliable waste removal services in Ocala, FL
•  Get in touch with Dallas Dumpster Rentals if you need to get rid of old roof material and you are in Dallas, TX
• Home owners and roofing contractors in Seattle, WA may contact Seattle Dumpster Rentals or Bellevue Dumpster Rentals for their waste disposal needs.
• If you are in Boston, MA turn to Boston Dumpster Rentals who can provide you with friendly dumpster rental and waste removal services at competitive price.

The waste management consultants will be able to help you to select the size of the disposal bin you need depending on the square footage of your roof.

• Published: 2011-07-13T13:40:05-07:00
• Author: Anna Krupp, Dumpsters & Roll Off Container Consultant