Some folks out there may be wondering what the big deal about shingle granules loss is. Well, shingle granules are essential to the life of the building roof, and indicate the integrity of your asphalt shingles. It protects the roof from ultraviolet (UV) rays especially the asphalt coating so that the asphalt membrane remains safe, it provides some level of fire resistance, and add aesthetic appeal and beauty because some granules come in colors. While it is understandable that granules loss may be as a result of weather condition or climate zone, the bottom-line is that the quality of the shingle matters. Besides, the granules loss could cause slippery on the roof, very dangerous during repairs. The loss usually finds the exit at the gutters thereby clogging gutters and making spouts difficult for drainage. But a high-quality shingle should be able to withstand the complexities of weather conditions. The process of producing shingles granules which are from organic materials such as wood fibers, cellulose, and waste papers, determines how stable or weak it could be when applied on adhesive asphalt. Some companies take extreme rigor to ensure solid granules on the shingle while others overlook the details. Dmitry Lipinsky, Founder, and CEO of Roofing Insights takes time out to examine the “Who Makes the Best Shingle: Granules Loss.”
Dmitry compares the granules loss of seven shingles: Tamko’s Heritage, Iko’s Cambridge True, Pabco’s Premier, Atlas’ Pinnacle Pristine, Owens Corning’s Duration, CertainTeed’s Landmark, and Malarkey’s Vista. The test was to see which of the brands loses the most shingle granules. It was a rigorous test and energy exhausting, but he did it. From the extreme test, Atlas emerged the best shingle with lesser granules loss. Atlas’ shingle granules loss weighs 0.2grams. The next best is Malarkey’s Vista with 0.5grams, Owens Corning’s Duration is 0.8grams, while Tamko’s Heritage weighs 1.1grams. CertainTeed’s Landmark, Pabco’s Premier, and Iko’s Cambridge True are 1.3grams, 1.6grams, and 6.0grams respectively. So Iko’s Cambridge True has the most massive shingle granules loss among the seven brands. Challenging as it sounds, Iko company should improve its shingles for the market consumer.
You are correct if the granule loss is a big issue if it is coming from granules that should be embedded in the asphalt. However, at times excess granules can be applied and fall off during winds and rains. So the real issue has to do with ‘balding’ and not the amount of granule shedding.
Bernie
Hi again,
One thing I meant to mention was that I was in the wholesale building supply business for over 50 years and have investigated many roofing issues over that time. We introduced a number of roofing products during that time including fibreglass mat shingles and torched on roofing. Right now I am involved with a townhouse strata that is experiencing a fairly large amount of ‘balding’ on some Malarkey shingles.The owners were told by the Malarkey representative that they will not do anything about because they say the applicator was not approved by them. I could not see anywhere I looked that was a reason for granule loss balding!. I was always fairly high on Malarkey products, but this experience is certainly giving me seconds.