Common Roofing Questions After New Roof
Common roofing questions after new roof installation, answering these questions can give you peace of mind that your new roof was installed correctly.
Proper roof installation is what makes your new roof look better, last longer and stand out from others in your neighborhood.
Elements that go into your new roof being installed properly include:
- Starting with a clean roofing deck
- Using a top roofing shingle
- Using ice & water barrier
- Using synthetic felt
- Making sure to remove all nails from the roof’s deck
- Lots more
Clean Roof Deck
Common Roofing Questions After New Roof! OK, you have your new roof now what?
Let me walk you through what to expect from your new roof from day one through the next 20 plus years. The first thing we need to go over is the roof itself and what is going on immediately after the roof has been installed.
Your production manager should have walked you around the house and explained all the details of your new roof and what to expect like the thermal seal of the shingles. However, even with a thorough walk around there is a lot of information to remember. There are a handful of common questions many homeowners ask the day after the new roof install through the first several weeks.
The Lifetime Journey of Your Roofing Shingles
Most new roofs act the same way after the install. What I mean by this is all asphalt shingles will need a little time to thermal seal and lay flat and there could be packing material that needs rain to wash the shingles off. I will go through a list of questions that we get on a weekly basis. From the shingles don’t look like they are lying flat to what are the bumps around my chimney in the roof’s valleys.
Let me start with the number one question we get asked the first week after many new roof installations. It does not look like my shingles are lying flat, do I have a problem, and will it make them leak? The shingles not lying flat is perfectly normal. If you look at the shingles with your production manager during the roof installation process you will see a sticky or tacky area on the back of each shingle. These are called sealant strips and it takes a little time in the sun and heat to activate them and get what is called thermal seal. Thermal seal is where one shingle adheres to the shingle beneath it.
Not Fully Thermal Sealed
Another common question is, I see humps in my shingles in certain areas, is this normal? When we lay ice and water shield in your valleys it will make a small raised area on each side from the center of your roof’s valley outward about 8-10 inches from the centerline. This hump is even more pronounced around the chimney and exhaust vents due to a metal flashing generally being the second layer of protection added on top of the ice & water and raising the shingles even more.
Sumps and Humps
Another common roofing question is my roof’s deck looks like it sinks in and is raised up in areas. This technical name for this is deck deflection but more commonly called sumps and humps. There are a few things that can cause this but the most common and costly is improper ventilation. Many roofing companies will tell you the roof’s decking is too thin and that is entirely possible but according to Owens Corning and other shingle manufacturers, it is improper ventilation. Read the post by Owens Corning and there is also a link to a Kreunen Construction page explaining roof ventilation at length. Read the full post which is also about attic insulation and you will fully understand how attic insulation and roof ventilation work together as one complete roofing system and in the end, make your new roofing shingles last as much as twice as long.
Improper ventilation will allow the attic to get too hot as well as retain too much humidity causing the decking to stay moist and sag. This is yet another reason proper roof venting is so critical and only a roofing professional is going to tell you these things, it costs more money and you can’t bid cheap when you disclose these roofing issues. At Kreunen Construction, we believe there is no cheap way to roof a home, only a right way.
Getting Ready For Ventilation
Common Roofing Questions After New Roof: None Roof Related Leaks
While we are on the subject of re-roofing and the completed project let’s go ahead and discuss some common non-roof related leak issues, so you can be prepared if they happen.
Non-Roof Related Leaks
What Is Non-Roof Related Leaks?
In short non-roof related leaks are when your roof leaks and it has nothing to do with your new roof.
A/C Pan Overflow
Why should I know what these are? Non-roof related leak issues account for over 60% of our callbacks at Kreunen Construction.
At Kreunen Construction, we are happy to check on all our roofing clients’ needs and concerns. However, if we come out and the leak is due to your A/C overflow pan in the attic then we will have to charge a service call fee.
Most common non-roof related leaks.
- A/C overflow pan is full of water and leaking over
- Gutters are full of leaves and other debris causing them to overflow and push back under your shingles
- Cracks in the bricks and mortar in your chimney
- Old chimney cap rusted and leaking
- Cracks in your stucco walls or chimney allowing water to enter your home
- Walls literally pulling away from your home, common for additions to your existing home
- Old skylights with unseen cracks and flashing problems
- Water heater overflow pan full of water and overflowing in your attic
These are just the most common non-roof related leak issues that we get called back on. We have a full page of our website dedicated just to this issue. If you do have a leak and think it is roof related please read our roof leak page first, then if you eliminate all these non-roof related issues please give us a call and let us check it out for you.
