Thermal Splitting Roof Shingles

It s possible that shingles made by some manufacturers do not meet the astm standards for tear resistance.

Thermal splitting roof shingles. This damage would lower the defense of your home by allowing water to leak into your roof. Thermal splitting is due to temperature related expansion and contraction. Shingle splitting due to temperature related expansion and contraction is called thermal splitting. Regardless of what you call it this tearing is caused by thermal expansion of the material.

Just because shingles are thermal cracked dosen t give the insurance company a get out of jail free card. What is the cause of thermal splitting cracks in fiberglass based asphalt roof shingles. This usually happens where the roof shingles connect to the joints in the underlying layer of shingles. Shingles expand in warm temperatures which cause the joints between them to decrease in size.

Splitting thermal splitting occurs due to changes in temperature that cause shingles to expand and contract. A variety of factors lead to this problem including thermal cycling and the adhesive that holds each shingle in place. Splitting over shingle joints. Splitting happens when thermal expansion causes the different layers of a shingle to literally pull themselves apart from each other because one of the layers is secured by a fastener.

Changes in temperature cause the material components of the shingles to warp then split apart. Thermal splitting typically happens where shingles bridge the joints in the underlying layer of shingles. These conditions create stresses between the two assemblies that if extreme enough can result in shingle splitting or buckling. They can be crease by wind damage at the same time.

The term thermal splitting or cracking is a bit of a misnomer as in most cases the result of thermal splitting is a tearing of the shingles. It is characterized by thin large cracks between asphalt shingles. Whether you have conventional 3 tab shingles or laminated asphalt shingles you may have to deal with thermal damage like this if your home is exposed to extreme temperature swings. There are no industry standards that specify the minimum bond strength of shingle adhesive strips.

Reason behind thermal splitting in asphalt shingles. Thermal splitting is due to the contraction and expansion the shingle experiences as a result of changing temperatures. Thermal splitting is common in low quality asphalt shingles. It may also form a diagonal pattern up the roof following the stair up pattern of the offset joints made during installation.

Even where shingles meet the standards it s possible that the standards themselves were defective.