Timberline 25 shingles going bad

[Billy Bee]

I built my house in 1995 and installed Timberline 25 laminated shingles, the kind that look like cedar shakes. The roof has developed a couple leaks, and I had a roofer come to repair them. He said they have been having problems with these shingles leaking right through the shingle. Apparently they deteriorate and allow water to migrate through. These are 25 year shingles and only 20 years old. I have inexpensive 3 in 1 shingles on my barn that are 30 years old and no problems. The Timberlines were supposed to be one of the best at the time, and I thought I would get more than 25 years out of them. Anyone else have or heard of these problems? Looks like a complete reroof this summer as the roofer said more leaks will pop up and they are nearly impossible to locate.

 

[KB9UDE]

Shingles are not made of the same quality that they used to be. I recommended steel roofing but that may or may not suite your style. There are several styles and quality of steel roofing also.

 

[KennyG]

Just curious - what are the slopes on the problem roof and the good roof. I've always heard that a shingle on a low slope roof (1 in 3 or 1 in 4) will almost never reach its "life". While a shingle on a steep roof (1 in 2 to 1 in 1) will usually exceed its rated life.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have always heard that anything more than 4/12 pitch on a gravel embedded asphalt shingle will cause the gravel to wash off quickly and then the shingle to deteriorate from sun exposure. This being in the deep south and not exposed to snow for 4 months out of the year where steeper pitched roofs are required to slip the snow off.

 

[Billy Bee]

Just curious - what are the slopes on the problem roof and the good roof. I've always heard that a shingle on a low slope roof (1 in 3 or 1 in 4) will almost never reach its "life". While a shingle on a steep roof (1 in 2 to 1 in 1) will usually exceed its rated life.

The 3 in 1 shingles on the barn have a 4/12 pitch and they are not failing. The house with the Timberlines is a 5/12 pitch.

 

[teejk]

A builder told me that some manufacturers no longer put a life rating on their products. Too many variables (freeze/thaw, etc.) and they have all had some issues. I bought a house that had fiberglass base shingles and several of those lost the entire coating at 10 years so it looked like white rags blowing in the breeze. Dunno what to tell you to do. Steel is expensive but maybe worth it.

 

[Toyboy]

We just had our place re-roofed because of a hail storm. We have a 10-12 on garage and 8-12 on house. I had them put ice & water guard within 2' of peak on both bld. instead of traditional underlayment.

 

[coralhead]

I put steel on all of my buildings. The price was a bit more but goes on a lot quicker. When the cost is calculated in to replace the roof in 20 years the steel makes a lot more sense to me. I also am able to do steel by myself.

 

[teejk]

I put steel on all of my buildings. The price was a bit more but goes on a lot quicker. When the cost is calculated in to replace the roof in 20 years the steel makes a lot more sense to me. I also am able to do steel by myself.

I helped a guy install steel over shingles last year. Was a "snap" interlocking panel system installed over a thin layer of foam (looked like carpet backing). It went down quick other than the valleys...also had to plan ahead to avoid walking on it. I see that steel is now available in patterns that look like shingles.

 

[Rustyiron]

They are actually calling metal roofing "green". I think because of the life expectancy over asphalt based roofing. Lot's of choices out there in steel roofing these days.