Tornadoes, thunderstorms, and straight-line winds are not friends of your roofing components. They often cause shingles to blow off your roof, leaving your home vulnerable to damaging water intrusion. Poor installation and subpar roofing materials can also contribute to roofing shingles blowing away in the wind.
Let’s dive in and discover the most common reasons for missing shingles, the problems missing shingles can cause, and what to do about it.
What Causes Roofing Shingles to Become Loose and Make Your Home Vulnerable to Moisture Damage?
1. Strong Winds
When a high wind event hits our area, it can cause your shingles to lift and begin to tear away from your home. While they may not fly off your roof instantly, the high winds can set them up to come off easily the next time there is a storm in the area—even if the winds aren’t too high. Sometimes, strong winds cause roof shingles to pull through the nails that are meant to keep them in place.
2. Low-Quality Shingles
When you have a new roof installed, be sure to check what type of wind rating the roof shingles were engineered with. Perhaps you moved into your current home, and you don’t know what type of wind rating the shingles have. If your shingles are blowing off your roof when harsh weather arrives, it’s possible that the reason is you have low-quality shingles.
3. Subpar Installation
The two primary ingredients necessary for high performance roofing are quality materials and expert installation. If you have top materials made by an industry-leading manufacturer, but they are not installed properly, you risk roof damage and leaks due to missing shingles. When installers don’t place nails properly, shingles won’t withstand high winds. If shingles aren’t secured properly, or the nail itself has worked loose, it allows shingles to slip out of place.
4. Underlying roof damage
If you have underlying damage to your roof decking due to moisture intrusion, it can cause roof shingles to blow off your home. If your missing shingle has been left unattended for a long period of time, there are likely larger issues beneath the surface that need to be addressed to stop the damage to your home’s protective layer.
5. An aging roof
If your roof has protected your home for a number of years, it may show signs of aging such as missing shingles. Asphalt shingles may wear out over time, they may become weak, and more than one may exit your roof at a time, leaving it vulnerable to additional (and immediate!) damage.
The Problems Missing Shingles Can Cause
If you made it through a storm without seeing any missing shingles, you may not be in the clear. Why? Because sometimes the evidence of wind damage isn’t immediate.
If you notice missing roof shingles, don’t procrastinate addressing the issue. Contact a reputable roofing contractor and have them take a look. Here are some problems missing shingles can create:
Leaks
Missing shingles may lead to immediate leaks inside your attic or interior walls, or leaks may develop over time. Holes in your roof can get worse, creating more costly damage to repair.
Mold and mildew damage
Unnoticed leaks can lead to festering problems like unhealthy mold and mildew growth in your attic and interior walls. This can lead to an increase in respiratory problems.
Sheathing damage
When your sheathing becomes exposed and the problem isn’t addressed, it can rot, leading to more damage.
Dry rot
Missing roof shingles can cause dry rot, which spreads when left unattended, causing more problems over time.
Decrease in home value
Missing shingles create a lackluster look to your home, lowering its overall value. They send the message that your home isn’t well-maintained and that pricy damage could be found beneath the surface.
Fortify Your Home’s Protective Layer and Rest at Ease When Storms Arrive
When your roof shingles become airborne, it’s time to reach out to a reputable roofing contractor (like us!) and get an inspection. We’ll find the cause of the problem and give you solutions that will put you at ease when future storms hit.
At Porter Family Exteriors, we are proud to be among the 2% of roofing companies nationwide that hold a GAF Master Elite Roofing Contractor title. Learn more about how our low maintenance, weatherproof Asphalt Shingles can add value to your home, boost its curb appeal, and protect it from costly moisture damage.
