What To Know About Asphalt Shingle Granules

Granules are an important component of an asphalt roofing system. The granules on an asphalt roof serve two purposes: they protect the shingles and enhance the appearance of the roof. Discover five things about shingle granules you should know.

1. Granules Provide Color

When asphalt granules wear off old roofing, the roof looks dark and bare. That's because the granules provide color for the shingles. They also had some texture so your roof has a more attractive appearance. Granules are usually made from stone.

The bits of stone are dyed in a variety of colors before they're adhered to the shingles. Granules are often a mix of shades or colors so the shingles blend in well together. As the granules wear off, the color of your roof fades, and this can give your roof a worn-out look when the shingles get old.

2. Granules Protect Your Roof

Granules are important for the longevity of your roof. The granules block UV rays from hitting the asphalt shingles. UV rays age shingles and cause your roof to wear down much quicker. However, with granules added, your roof will have a much longer life. That's why it's important to replace granules or change shingles in places where tree limbs scrape them off and leave the shingles bare.

You can often see granules in your gutters or on the ground near your foundation. If you suddenly see a lot more granules than usual, you may want a roofer to check your roof to find out what's scraping them off so repairs can be done before the shingles are damaged.

3. Granule Loss Is Expected and Normal

It's normal for granules to shed. In fact, your roof may lose a lot of granules right after it's installed. This is normal since the extra granules are there to protect the shingles during storage, transport, and installation. The loss of granules eventually slows down, but it doesn't stop. Your roof loses granules its entire life. The amount of granules left on your roof lets a roofer know when you need to get a new roof.

Once enough granules are gone, the shingles start to age much faster since they lose their protection from the sun. Granule loss can happen by foot traffic on your roof or by kids bouncing balls on the roof. You may not be able to control what storms do to your roof's granules, but you can protect the granules by limiting foot traffic, not letting kids play with the roof, and keeping trees trimmed away from your house.

4. Granules Can Be Replaced Sometimes

If a small section of your roof has granules scraped off by trees, raccoons, or strong winds, your roofer may adhere new granules to the area to restore protection to your roof. However, they may opt to replace the shingles instead. When most of your roof has lost a lot of granules, it's not practical to replace them all. Instead, when most of the granules are gone, plan a roof replacement.

5. Some Granules Have Special Functions

While many shingles use granules made of stone, some shingles have copper or ceramic granules. These shingles are devised for specific purposes. Ceramic granules reflect even more of the sun so solar warming of your home is reduced. Shingles with ceramic granules are a type of cool roofing that helps your home stay cooler in the summer so you have improved comfort and lower AC bills.

Copper granules control algae growth on your roof. If you have problems with algae on your roof, talk to your roofer about getting shingles with copper granules. The copper kills algae so it won't grow and make ugly black stains on your shingles.

If your roof is looking old due to granule loss or your roof has lost granules in an isolated area due to trees, call Four Seasons Roofing & Repair Inc. We'll check your roof and make repairs if possible or recommend a roof replacement if it's needed.