Understanding Asphalt Shingle Warranties | Oshkosh Roofing Pros
Understanding Asphalt Shingle Warranties

Understanding Asphalt Shingle Warranties

Shingle warranties will typically pay homeowners any time shingles are discovered to have a defect from the manufacturer. This occurrence can be relatively rare and should be if the company you buy from uses quality shingles.

Asphalt Roof Shingles:

This is the most common type of shingle used on homes in the United States. The early types of asphalt shingles were crafted by soaking rag-felts in asphalt, then coating both sides with a filler layer made of asphalt minerals. This process protects the shingle from weather and sunlight and prevents the shingles from fusing together in shipment or storage.

Asphalt Roof Shingles

In more recent times, manufacturers started using fiberglass mats instead. Fiberglass was believed to have better resistance to tearing and fire and may have been more affordable for the roofing installer and manufacturer due to less product used.

Early Failure of Roofing Products:

In some cases, roofing products can show early failure signs which are easy to identify. While some manufacturers will offer a limited warranty on their roofing products, some roofers will guarantee that their work won’t leak for a limited amount of time.

Roofing Products

  • A Typical Claims Procedure: Most claims procedures are fairly involved, including photographs, documentation, and in some cases, a damaged material sample. Based on this, the roofing manufacturer might choose to warrant the shingles in a pro-rated manner depending on how old the roof as compared to its warranty length.
  • Possible Results: Sometimes, the warranty will cover just the cost of material and not the cost of installation (old material removal, demolition, labor) unless the particular contractor decides to include coverage for this.
  • Labor and Removal Costs: The roofing material cost is hardly ever the major contributing factor in overall costs in roofing. Labor and removal of old materials, on the other hand, can be significant costs. Due to a concern for the life of the roof, some contractors are even hesitant to install new materials on top of failed materials, even when local codes permit it.Certain homeowners are hesitant to put new roofing in when it’s the same type of material as the roofing that failed early on originally.The manufacturer may have changed up the product formulation to increase durability but may be hesitant to disclose this due to concerns about product liability increases.
  • Considering Alternative Products: If you haven’t received assurance from your roofing manufacturer that the roofing product has been changed to address the original issue, you should consider using an alternative product that has a proven track record.

Evaluating your Warranty for Roofing:

Consider the following when evaluating a warranty:

  • How long is it valid for algae or wind damage?
  • Can the warranty be transferred?
  • Is your warranty prorated from its installation date?
  • Does it only cover the materials or also the disposal, tear-off and labor costs involved in the process?

You should also consider whether the manufacturer has a good reputation in terms of their warranty services in the area which you live. Follow all of these guidelines, and you will have the best experience possible.