If you notice a considerable number of granules in your gutters or on the ground after a heavy storm rolls through your area, your roof may have been severely damaged. The granules are tiny rocks that are bound to the shingle by asphalt. High winds make the granules more likely to fly off during a storm, and hailstones hitting the granules can easily separate them from the shingle backing.
The granules on an asphalt shingle are an important part of making sure your home is protected against leaks since they add weight to the shingle and shield the asphalt from the sun. To learn more about the purpose of the granules on asphalt shingles and what you should do when you notice a large amount of them in your gutters after a heavy storm, read on.
What's the Purpose of the Granules on Asphalt Shingles?
The main purpose of the granules on an asphalt shingle is to block ultraviolet rays from the sun. The asphalt in a shingle is what binds the granules to it, and asphalt will slowly deteriorate when it's exposed to sunlight. As it starts to break down, the asphalt will lose its ability to hold on to the granules. The granules block sunlight, extending the lifespan of your roof by stopping the breakdown of the asphalt binder.
Granules also add weight to the shingle, and this added thermal mass helps keep temperatures even across the entire shingle when it heats up in the sun. An asphalt shingle will expand slightly when it's hot and shrink when it cools down. Uneven temperatures across the surface of the shingle can cause the shingle to curl upwards, which can lead to rain seeping underneath the shingle and leaking into your attic. Keeping the temperature stable by adding granules to the shingle helps stop the shingles from curling.
What Should You Do When Your Gutters Are Full of Granules After a Storm?
If you notice a large number of granules in your gutters or on the ground after a storm, call a roofing service and have your roof inspected. They'll be able to determine the extent of the granule loss by assessing the condition of the shingles on your roof.
A minor amount of granule loss isn't a problem, but you'll need to replace your roof if your shingles are becoming bare—the asphalt is now exposed to sunlight, which means you'll start losing granules at a faster rate. There's no way to add more granules to a shingle, so you'll need to replace the entire shingle in order to restore your roof's ability to protect your home from rain and storms.
Granules are a vital part of your asphalt roof, and losing a significant number of them during a storm makes further damage more likely in the future. Your asphalt will begin to deteriorate more quickly as it's exposed to sunlight, which means you'll be at a greater risk of losing more granules during the next storm. In order to find out if your roof lost too many granules during the last storm, call a roofing service and have it inspected.
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Very few roofers would say their job is easy. In fact, many describe the work as downright tough! But that does not mean that roofers do not enjoy or value the work that they do. Many workers get satisfaction from working with their hands, and they really enjoy creating a roof from simple materials. They also like the logistical challenges, such as figuring out how to get shingles up on a tall roof, or how to most safely repair a damage gutter. If you'd like to learn more about roofing as a profession, then you've arrived at the right blog.