The roofing felt underneath your shingles gives your roof an extra way to keep water out of your attic. Roofing felt is made from either paper or fiberglass that's saturated with liquid asphalt. It protects your wooden roof deck from being exposed to any rain that makes its way underneath your shingles. However, roofing felt breaks down over time, and badly deteriorating roofing felt will no longer be able to protect your home from rain. To learn how you can know when it's time to replace the roofing felt underneath your roof's shingles, read on.
Your Roof Looks Wavy
The paper or fiberglass mat that makes up your roofing felt will absorb water that comes into contact with it. A small amount of water will evaporate when the sun comes out after heavy rain.
If your roofing felt absorbs a substantial amount of water because your roof's shingles are missing or damaged, then it will become highly saturated and start to swell. The roofing felt will push up on the shingles as it swells, causing your roof to have a wavy appearance.
When roofing felt is highly saturated with water, it needs to be replaced. It would take too long for it to dry out on its own, and mold can start growing on the wooden roof deck if it's next to wet roofing felt. In addition to replacing the felt, you'll also need to replace the damaged shingles that allowed it to absorb so much water.
Your Roofing Felt Is Crumbling Apart
The asphalt in roofing felt degrades over time. Roofing felt becomes very hot when your roof is exposed to direct sunlight during the day, and high temperatures will slowly turn asphalt brittle. When the asphalt turns brittle, the roofing felt will start to crumble apart. You'll see small bits of paper or fiberglass in your gutters and next to your home. Roofing felt that's crumbling apart needs to be replaced since it will no longer be able to adequately protect your home from water intrusion.
You Have Water Stains on Your Attic Ceiling
If you notice large water stains on your attic ceiling, it may be a sign that your roofing felt is becoming saturated with water. Water that collects in the roofing felt can transfer to the wooden roof deck underneath it, causing a large water stain. This is a very slow leak, but it can lead to mold growing in your attic, and it will also weaken your roof deck. When your roofing felt is letting water through to your roof deck, it has failed and is no longer performing its job. You'll need to replace the roofing felt to protect your attic from mold and water damage.
Keeping your home's roofing felt in good condition will provide you with a layer of backup protection against water intrusion. If you notice any signs that your roofing felt has failed, call a roofing service and have your roof inspected. They'll assess the condition of your roofing felt to see if it's saturated with water or badly deteriorated, and they'll replace it with new roofing felt if yours is no longer able to protect your home from heavy rain and strong winds.
For more info about roofing services, contact a local company.
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.