1. What’s the difference between an architectural or designer shingle and a standard shingle?

Since the early 1900’s, the three-tab or strip shingle was the standard composition shingle installed in single-family residences. These products come with 20, 25, and 30-year warranty coverage. Color is about the only appearance differentiation in this class of shingle.

Many people use an architectural or disigner shingler when remodeling their home.  These are a double laminated shingle that has the appearance of cedar shake. These products come with 30, 40, 50, and many with lifetime warranties.

Other important innovations in architectural shingles include the Super Shangle and Super Shake styles. Today, the architectural shingle class is running away with the market. Warranties range up to 40 years and even lifetime. Color is no longer the only choice to make. The many textures, forms, and designs of architectural shingles in the marketplace can result in a major aesthetic upgrade for your home.

Ask Citi Roofing, Co. to show you a Good, Better, and Best selection of products. Shingles are not just for keeping out the rain anymore.

2. What type of warranty should I look for? Aren’t they all the same?

Warranties usually range from 20 to 40 years.

• Look for manufacturers’ warranties that cover materials and labor in the first three to five years after application on any grade of roofing shingle.
• Carefully review the manufacturer’s warranty stipulations about proration and transferability.
• Note the contractor’s guarantee of performance. Contractors’ guarantees are usually for one to five years on the average.

3. What does the U.L. fire resistance rating for a shingle mean?

The Underwriters Laboratories (U.L.) ratings signify that the shingles were manufactured to pass a certain set of standards to qualify as fire resistant.

Organic shingles carry a U.L. Class C fire resistance rating. Fiberglass shingles carry a U.L. Class A fire resistance rating. Either is appropriate for residential applications.

What Are Ice Dams?

Ice dams are formed when heat from the inside of a home escapes into the attic and warms the roof decking during the winter. This heat, combined with heat from the sun, can melt snow on the roof. Melting snow on the upper roof and in the valleys then runs down toward the eaves as water. When it reaches the cold eaves and gutters, it refreezes. The continual thaw and re-freeze process creates ice dams. The result is water backing up under the roof shingles or behind fascia boards where it can soak through the roof decking or walls heating, causing damage to attics, ceilings and walls.

ICE DAM DEFENSE
There are three ways to defend against the damage ice dams cause: insulation, ventilation and waterproofing shingle underlayment. All three work together. Insulation keeps heat from escaping from your home’s living space into your attic. Ventilation removes the heat and helps keep the roof deck evenly cool to help prevent snow form melting on the roof. Finally, waterproofing shingle underlayment is laid across the roof before roof shingles are applied.

INSULATION
An attic insulated to today’s energy standards with fiberglass insulation minimizes heat escape through the ceiling, virtually eliminating the possibility of snow melting and refreezing at the base of the roof.

If your home was built before 1980, chances are it needs more attic insulation. The amount of insulation your house should have will vary depending on where you live, how your house is built and many other factors including your lifestyle. Insulation levels are recommended by geographic zones and are stated in R-values. R-value is the resistance to heat flow of a material. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating power.

VENTILATION
The second thing to look for in your attic is the amount of ventilation that you have. It is important to have ventilation in the attic so any heat lost from the interior of the home is drawn up and out of the attic. Adequate attic ventilation will help the roof deck stay cool. Another benefit of having your attic ventilated is that it allows moisture that rises into the attic from things such as bathing, cooking and laundry to escape. Unchecked moisture can promote mold, mildew and wood rot.

There are two common ways to ensure that excess moisture or heat can escape to the outside. One way is to use a power or mechanical ventilation system. The other way is through a natural or static ventilation system. A power ventilator is an electric powered fan installed at the roof or gable that runs by a thermostat or humidistat when the attic needs ventilation. Natural or static ventilation systems consist of simple vent or covered openings in your attic. These are typically ridge vents, gable, eave or roof vents.

A properly designed ventilation system must have both intake vents in the soffit or eaves at the lower part of the attic, and exhaust vents such as ridge vents high in the attic at or near the ridge.

WATERPROOFING UNDERLAYMENT
If you are building a new home or reroofing an older home, in addition to the points on insulation and ventilation mentioned above, you should insist that waterproofing shingle underlayment be installed before your roof shingles are applied. While shingle underlayment does not prevent the formation of ice dams, it will prevent backed up water from getting into the house. Discuss shingle underlayment placement with your builder.

• Under metal flashing and counter flashing at every roof penetration.
• In areas where roof pitches change, in valleys, at joints at building additions and at water stops behind chimneys.
• Along the eaves and at short cornice projections.