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Thermal splitting of fiberglass-based asphalt roof shingles was particularly common for product manufactured in the early 1990's. Asphalt Roof Shingle Warranties, Shingle Failure Claims
Roof Shingle Class Actions, Claim Forms, Warranty Claims Assistance

Roof warranties & roof covering or roof shingle warranties:

This document assists readers who have had an asphalt shingle roof failure or defect and who need to know how to obtain asphalt roofing shingle failure warranty claims assistance.

We include articles on how to identify common asphalt roof shingle failures, manufacturing defects, and other damage. Readers are also invited contribute roof failure information to the web author for research purposes.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

Roofing Warranties - Valuable or Sales Tool?

Above our photo shows a worn-out asphalt shingle roof. This roof is shot, but has actually worn normally and is more than 20 years old.

But if a roof wears out, or suffers damage that is likely to reduce its remaining life to less than the anticipated life or warranty period, a warranty claim might be in order.

Don't have high hopes: if the roof was not properly installed the shingle warranty may be void. Other roofing products that have known premature failure problems are also discussed here.

[Click to enlarge any image]

Article contents

As stated in Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction (Steve Bliss, J Wiley & Sons) :

Shingle warranties run from 20 to over 50 years. Although products with longer warranties are usually of higher quality, in some cases, the longer warranties are more of a marketing strategy than an accurate predictor of shingle life.

While the specific terms of the warranty are important, more important is the manufacturer’s reputation for warranty service in the local area. All manufacturers retain the right to void the warranty if installation instructions are not closely followed, and they can often find a way to avoid honoring a claim if so inclined.

Background about roof warranties

Asphalt roof shingles are the most common covering used on residential properties in North America.

Early shingles were made by saturating rag-felts with asphalt and by coating each side of the saturated felt with an asphalt-mineral filler-coat, covering the top surface of the shingle with mineral granules (sunlight and weather resistance) and coating the bottom surface with a material to prevent shingles from sticking together in storage or shipment.

Beginning in the 1940's the felt mat was changed to a zero rag-content using wood fibers and cellulose (newspaper). More recently many manufacturers began producing shingles using a fiberglass mat to replace the felt.

The fiberglass mat was thought to have good tear resistance, possibly slightly better fire resistance, and as the mat was generally thinner than the felt mat, we believe that there were also economic advantages for both the manufacturer (less asphalt used in the mat) and the roofing installer (lighter material, easier to install).

In certain instances specific roofing products have shown common early failure, failing in a characteristic pattern which is easily identified (such as the thermal splitting defect. Some manufacturers offer limited warranty coverage of their product. Many roofers also guarantee their work to be free from leaks, but usually for a time period substantially shorter than the manufacturer's rated life of the roof material.

In cases which we've handled in the 1990's to about 2004 and involving thermal splitting or tearing of fiberglass-based asphalt shingles, some manufacturers (such as GAF) offer a limited product warranty.

Following a fairly involved claims procedure requiring documentation, photographs, and a sample of damaged material the manufacturer may elect to warrant the roofing material on a pro-rated basis depending on the age of the roof and its warranted life. Sometimes the manufacturer's warranty covers only material cost, not installation cost (labor, demolition, removal of old materials) unless the roofing contractor chooses to extend such coverage.

The cost of roofing material is not the main ingredient in roofing cost. Labor and possibly disposal of old roofing material are significant costs. Out of concern for future roof life, some roofers are reluctant to install new roofing atop failed material even where additional layers of roofing are permitted by local codes.

Some homeowners are reluctant to install as new roofing the same product which failed early in the first place. Manufacturers might have changed the formulation of the product to improve durability, but they are understandably reluctant to say so, out of concern for increasing product liability.

Without assurance from the manufacturer that a product which failed early has been modified to correct the problem, we advise our clients to consider using alternative products with design and performance expectations having a better track record.

Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction lists several key issues to consider in evaluating a roof shingle warranty:

-- Adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction.

Question: roof manufacturer offers very limited settlement on asphalt shingles with granule loss

2016/09/08 Spencer Rafferty said:

I have a roof of 12yrs with 25yr shingles on it, I noticed significant granule loss on 90% of whole roof on the single layer part of arc. shingles. I contacted manufacturer and they only offered 384.00, then I contacted local representative and he's only offering about 1,700.

Now I am a Home Inspector and know from experience this is a manufacturers defect because its on 90% of roof and certain parts of each shingle. Problem is I feel they should honor their warranty of full replacement, so how do I go about getting independent testing of shingles to determine if it was manufacturers defect to go after company ?? Any help would be appreciated !

This question and reply were posted originally

at GRANULE LOSS from SHINGLES

Reply:

Thanks for the important roof shingle warranty question, Spencer. Now it's time for a dose of painful reality. What follows is my OPINION.

Roof shingle warranties vary, and you don't mention the brand and model of your roof shingles so we don't know what your warranty promised. Usually shingle warranties, even "lifetime" ones, are actually quite limited.

IF the manufacturer agrees at all that the product is defective, you'd expect recover a portion of the shingle material cost, pro-rated based on the percent of roof life promised vs. delivered.

When the roof has lost granules such that its remaining life is likely to be reduced and when we are now at 1/2 of the roof's rated life, but the roof is not yet leaking, the manufacturer is going to argue that the roof has not yet "failed" - it's not leaking.

So they are re-adjusting the 50% of shingle material cost to a smaller sum which is the manufacturer's own opinion of the amount of reduction from the 25-year life that has been caused by the roof's deterioration. They may not enjoy explaining that to you but that's probably the rationale behind the pathetic warranty offering.

The manufacturer will also adjust the warranty coverage for a roof based on their own observation of installation defects including virtually anything that did not completely follow the manufacturer's installation instructions regarding product selection, underlayment, nailing schedule, condition of the roof deck, flashing details, roof ventilation details and perhaps other conditions (such as mechanical damage from ice dams).

The cost of a roof leak in damaged building insulation, wiring, finish materials, drywall, and potentially mold clean-up can also be a significant cost that won't be covered by roof warranty even if the roof is actually leaking.

The labor to install roof shingles is normally a much greater cost than the materials, a third fact that makes roof shingle warranties of only very limited value.

What we learn from this is that product warranties are more of a marketing feature than something intended to actually protect the consumer. Roof shingle warranties may tell us something about the comparable expected life of different roof products but they're not particularly valuable as insurance against early roof leaks.

In corresponding with readers about this topic for decades now I've seen that just what the roof manufacturer or roof installer offer in settlement varies considerably depending in part on how much trouble the consumer is making and how persistent is the consumer in pressing a claim as well as on the difference between large commercial jobs and residential roof jobs.

Asphalt shingle test labs offer product testing services that can explain why a shingle product is failing or appears defective, such as loss of volatiles, over-heating during manufacture, or other manufacturing or service life defects. You could try asking one of these labs to test representative samples of your roof; you'd need to photo-document the whole roof, document the product, its installation details, and other information, then cut samples, patch the cut area, and send your samples to a test lab.

I would of course be interested in what the lab tells you - we'd all benefit from that if your case were adequately documented. But I warn that YOU are not an important customer to the roof shingle test lab. The roofing manufacturers may use independent asphalt shingle test labs to monitor and assess their own manufacturing process.

They, the manufacturers, are far more important customers to the lab than you. Therefore you might find some reluctance on the part of test labs to help you prepare material that will in turn be used to annoy their main client.

We discuss asphalt shingle test lab services

at ROOFING MATERIALS TEST LABS inspectapedia.com/roof/Roof_Shingle_Test_Labs.php

Do keep me posted, and do use the page top or bottom CONTACT link to send me sharp photos of the whole roof, varying conditions by roof slope, and close-ups of granule loss on shingle surfaces as well as of the lost -granules that you probably see in your gutters or on the ground.

Roofing Manufacturer Contact Information

A CertainTeed Roofing Product warranty claim form in .pdf form can be found below and also at http://www.certainteed.com/NR/rdonlyres/93C5F27C-E0CC-4284-84CB-89DDCF39457E/0/internetclaimform71504.pdf

and a second .pdf document is a FAQ or question and answer sheet about how to make a shingle or roofing product warranty claim to the CertainTeed Corporation - see http://www.certainteed.com/NR/rdonlyres/3564FD08-0533-4BA6-9B75-6AFE5832A145/0/WarrantyFAQs_2_.pdf .

[Original CertainTeed Roofing address we had on file was: 750 E. Swedesford Rd., Box 860, Valley Forge PA 19482 610-341-7000]

Certainteed Asphalt Roof Shingle blistering & damage class action settlement - see certainteedshinglesettlement.com/faq.cfm

Owens Corning asphalt roof shingle warranty summary table - cited & discussed at InspectApedia.com

Website excerpt: As an owner of a single family detached home, lifetime coverage means that your warranty is in effect for manufacturing defects as long as you own your home. Coverage period is reduced for non-single family or commercial structures.

[Click to enlarge any image]

How & Where to Report a Failing Asphalt Shingle Roof

Now at HOW TO REPORT SHINGLE FAILURES

List of Fiberboard & Fiber Cement Roof Shingle Warranty Claims Companies & Websites

Now at FIBERBOARD FIBER CEMENT SHINGLE CLAIMS SITES

 




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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2020-09-18 by danjoefriedman (mod) - Don't you have to use new felt on a new roof?

Anon

Please see FELT UNDERLAYMENT REQUIREMENTS where you 'll see that all roofing manufacturers as well as various standards and experts requrie felt underlayment on roof installation jobs.

Watch out: installing a roof while omitting requirements specified by the roofing manufacturer may void the roof or shingle warranty, and may also result in a shorter roof-life.

On 2020-09-18 by Anonymous

Don't you have to use new felt on a new roof?

On 2020-07-21 by Mark

We have Tamko Archtectural shingles that were installed in January 2011. The have been declared defective by two roofers and the the company itself. They are not offering enough product to replace the roof and no labor for tear off or replacement. Not sure what we should do.

We should have had at least 10 more years to save for a new roof. Any help would be appreciated. I have filed a complaint with the Attorney General.

On 2020-04-18 - by (mod) -

Nancy

let's sort this out a bit so that we have an idea how to proceed:

- do you know the brand and model of your roof shingles?

- is the leak due to faulty workmanship (bad flashing around a chimney for example) ?

if so your claim is with the roofer, who often warrants her work only until her truck leaves the end of your driveway, or maybe for a year

- is the leak due to defective roofing product (such as shingles that disintegrated or became porous) -

if so that may be a product defect in which case the manufacturer's warranty may apply and you can try a warranty claim

The manufacturer will not warrant your roof if the leak is due to workmanhip

and the roofer is at most only going to warrant their installation workmanship and is going to send you to the manufacturer on a product claim

On 2020-04-18 by Nancy Allen

My roof was installed on October 30, 2006. I need to know since it was 20 year shingles is the roof installer supposed to grant warranty on my roof if I have damages? The roof company also flashed around chimney and it's leaking bad on the outside all around the top of the chimney and it's now leaking inside. Please help.

On 2020-01-22 by (mod) - investigate dark spot and extent of roof damage or wear

I say you will want to investigate the dark spot to determine if your roof is leaking,

If the roof is leaking determine if it's an individual spot of damage that can be repaired or if instead, the roof is at the end of its life and needs replacement.

If the roof is leaking or has leaked into an attic or roof cavity it's also worth exploring the leak area to determine if the leak has caused mold growth that in turn would need to be removed.

I can't say a thing about your roof inspection of two years ago, nor about the actual condition of your roof as I have no data.

On 2020-01-22 by Ronald Pulliam

We had our roof inspected after an ice storm years after our roof was installed and was told that there was a recall on it way back when. They said the best thing to do was as long as we didn't have a problem, don't worry about it. I've noticed a dark spot in my ceiling now . What say you?

On 2019-07-03 by (mod) - filing a claim with GAF for roof shingles, ELK Corp Prestique product (now GAF)

The asphalt shingle failure class action litigation that I've been able to find out is all listed in the article above on this page. If I can find anything further, and I certainly will make an effort, I'll post it here.

On 2019-06-24 by Michele Miller

I have a question. I am filing a claim with GAF for roof shingles, ELK Corp Prestique product (now GAF) regarding de lamination of the shingle. I just started gathering the required data (it is a lot!) and wondered if you had any suggestions or knowledge of an existing class action suit for this product.

I had a few roofing guys out to look at the roof and they suggested reporting the delamination of the shingle as a warranty claim on the 30 year warranty.

On 2018-06-22 by (mod) - how to pursue a roof failure claim

You need to

1. Identify the shingle brand - manufacturer

2. Identify the specific shingle product (shingle model, color, pattern, style, etc. however it is identified by the manufacturer)

3. Note the date that shingles were purchased or installed

4. Note the defect or complaint

5. Contact the manufacturer, and apply for a warranty claim.

You may be required to obtain and/or provide

- photos of the roof conditions

- samples of failed shingle material

- other information the manufacturer requires

and on occasion the manufacturer will want to send their representative to examine the roof

All of this sounds like and is trouble, and in your case, if you have torn off the old roof and had its remains carted away, frankly I'm doubtful that you have or can obtain enough information to support a warranty claim.

Other readers note:

If you plan to file a roof shingle warranty claim you must contact the manufacturer before the roof has been replaced, and you can expect to be asked to provide evidence of the damage as well as to permit an on-site inspection of the roof.

Beware that if the roof failure can be ascribed to installation errors or other conditions that violate the roof shingle warranty, you can expect the manufacturer to deny the claim.

On 2018-06-22 by Margaret barrier certainties 20 or25 yr warranty shingles failure

certainties 20 or25 yr warranty shingles put unroof in 2009; insurance was cancelled June 2018 due to poor in condition of 20 yr old roof not 9 yr old roof
how do I file for warranty adjustment as I had to pay for whole new roof that my insurance would not cover because the shingles were inferior

On 2018-06-21 by (mod) -

I don't know

let me do some research

On 2018-06-20 by Greg

Did tamco sell seconds on there 30 year architectural shingles in 2008

On 2018-04-22 by (mod) - prevent black sdtains on roofs

Yes, C Wells, most asphalt shingle manufacturers offer algae-resistant asphalt shingles.

See
BLACK ROOF STAIN REMOVAL & PREVENTION at https://inspectapedia.com/roof/Shingle_Algae_Remedy.php

and also

Algae Staining On Shingled Roof Surfaces [PDF]

On 2018-04-22 by CWells

Is there an asphalt shingle brand that prevents mildew and a brand that has proven well in Southern Louisiana?

On 2017-10-05 1 by JOANN - claim of shingle shrinking Georgia Pacific premium -25 asphalt organic shingle

Had Georgia Pacific premium -25 asphalt organic shingles installed in 2000. Has a 25 yr warranty. Shingles not only had major granular deterioration, but actually shrunk in size. Part of roof now leaking. Is this normal ? I do not see other complaints or lawsuit anywhere.

On 2017-08-04 by (mod) Warranty offered by Celotex on their Asphalt Shingles

Carl.

In 1995 Celotex was offering a 40-year warranty on their asphalt shingles (Phillips, Stephen M., "Asphalt Shingle Warranties: What to Expect", Professional Roofing, September 1996 pp. R8-R14 [PDF] - I'll add a link to that in the article above.

Celotex roofing operations were bought by CertainTeed corporation (itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain of Paris ) in mid-2000. So you might want to contact that company to see if they're honoring older pre-acquisition Celotex roofing warranty claims. Unfortunately that move seems to have made locating older copies of older Celotex roofing shingle warranties difficult.

However I caution that if you have a roof that's within a few years of the end of its warranty, ehether it's 25 or 30, if your is a fee years from end of life, the value of the warranty to you if the roof is nearly or fully worn out is extremely low since normally it only covers the cost of the material in the first place - which is a smaller portion of the roof installation cost.

If that's the situation it's probably not worth a significant effort or expense to pursue it.

Furthermore, as you probably know from our articles on roof warranties if the manufacturer's representative finds errors or omissions in the roof installation, the warranty will be voided.

On 2017-08-04 by Curt

Would like to know how long the warranty was on celotex dimensoinal IV shadowband shake shingle from 1992. 25 yrs or 30 yrs

On 2017-07-14 by Frank

Have iko 25 roof shingles at 12 years are deteriatong cracking warping falling apart

On 2017-06-06 0 by (mod) In what year were the defects on Globe asphalt shingles first "well known"?

Brien,

Publicly, the condition of the globe shingle manufacturer was known by 2001. But that certainly doesn't tell us when and if an individual roofer may have known of conditions at the company.nor of product issues.

To even imagine constructing a case to complain about an individual roofer I think you would have to show that the company already product failure claims for the same product they installed on your home before your work was begun

On 2017-06-02 by Brien Martin

In what year were the defects on Globe asphalt shingles first "well known"?

I'm trying to find out if the roofer who installed mine did so after this date, basically knowing that he was installing faulty materials (which have now started to fail, 18 years into a 30-year roof).

Don't need a specific date, but if you have one, or a reference to where I can find it (I've searched the internet for references but no dice except for this site), it would be appreciated.

On 2016-08-12 by (mod) Class Action Law Suit against Atlas Storm Master Shake shingles?

Charlene (and for other readers) Atlas Storm Mater Shake Shingles are an laminate-style asphalt roof shingle colored and shaded to resemble (somewhat) wood shake roofing. The shingle sport copper-coated mineral granules intended to improve algae resistance and the shingles are described as having impact resistance, perhaps improving resistance to hail damage.

Charlene: to permit a detailed reply along with quotes and source citations I have repeated your question and include our answer atBLISTERS on ASPHALT SHINGLES found at https://inspectapedia.com/roof/Asphalt_Shingle_Blister_Rash.php

Please take a look there and let me know what questions remain.

Also, use our page bottom CONTACT link to send me some sharp photos of the shingle blisters or other damage about which you have questions concerning your specific roof and we should be able to comment further. Photos of the blistering will show up best when lit from light at a low angle, or in early morning or later afternoon.

Close-up sharp photos are particlularly helpful. I'd also want to know if you are seeing differences in the pattern or occurrence of blistering or other damage varying by individual roof slope or different areas on your roof.

On 2016-08-12 by Charlene Cogdill

Is there a Class Action Law Suit against Atlas Storm Master Shake shingles? I bought mine in 2011 and now they are blistering and no one is willing to take care of the problem. They are Class 4. What can I do?

On 2016-05-30 1 by (mod)

Re-posting

Harry said:
Thanks you guys!It's interesting a lot!If you are interested in roofing business you can read this article

On 2016-05-03 by Don Pederson

Steel it and forget it--morning Ron

Question: roof algae aggravation

(June 17, 2011) Bill Wilson said:

This roof algae is widespread in East Texas yet no roofers advertise AR shingles. After seeing the warranties I can see why!

Reply:

Please see ALGAE STAINS on ROOFS

Regarding comment posted by CHalunen
The class action law firm [deleted] is investigating Tamko Building Products for a possible defective shingles lawsuit. We have received complaints that the product is falling apart, curling, delaminating, and showing excessive degranulation. If you have purchased shingle products from Tamko, including the Heritage shingle line, and are experiencing similar problems, please contact us at: ...

this appears to be advertising material - prohibited from posts at InspectApedia, as are links and other inappropriate material.

Question: looking for independent shingle testing lab

(Dec 20, 2012) DK said:

Need an independent lab to test poor shingle performance. The manufacturer may not say anything wrong with their prodeuct. Where can I send the shigles samples for performance.

Question:

(Apr 21, 2014) Diane said:

Tried to go to the GAF informtion and the link is broken. Also tried calling the 800.414.4370 number and got a recording unrelated to GAF.
Still looking for information on the GAF Timberline/Royal Sovereign settlement.

Question: GAF Sentinel Shingles failed after 8 years

(May 30, 2014) Charlene said:

GAF Sentinel shingles failed within 8 years. However the warranty only covers materials if you don't notify them that the shingles are defective within 3 years of installation.
How misleading is this? Who's going to peel back the shingles to determine if they are defective within 3 years?

Reply:

Charlene, I don't think that the warranty expects anyone to remove shingles to look for defects. The defect should appear on the exposed shingle surfaces or should show up as a roof leak.

On 2015-10-22 by T. Long

Our home was constructed in 1998 with a 25 year Owens Corning asphalt shingled roof. What were the roofing installation requirements regarding ice guard and closed cut valley installation(specifically: clipped corners for proper valley drainage) at that time? Our builder has retired and moved out of state, along with the warranty information and details we would need to file a warranty claim. Any information you can provide us would be much appreciated! Allstate insurance company has offered a very small estimate of patchwork repairs for wind damage and is insisting that our roof was improperly installed, even though our first roof leak claim was filed in 2013…15 years later!(HOMEOWNERS DELUXE POLICY PLUS). DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS COMPANY OR THIS POLICY, FOLKS! You are in greedy hands with Allstate! Please help! Thank you!!!!

On 2015-06-30 - by (mod) -

I found Gardiner's ProSeal roof cement - a Florida firm in the U.S. but not roof shingles. Use our email at the page bottom CONTACT link to send me photos of the shingles and of any packaging labeling you've got and we'll research it further.

On 2015-06-30 by Suzy's neighbor

Does anyone know who the manufacturer is of ProSeal 30-year asphalt shingles (in Mallard Green color)? Or where to find this information?

On 2015-06-17 - by (mod) -

Jo Anne:

Is there any relationship between the HO insurance agent and local roofers? Did the home owners insurance company inspector give you specific description(s) of why she or he thinks your roof is at end of life? Is there visible damage? Surely one cannot condemn a roof whose condition has not been inspected.

On 2015-06-16 by Jo Anne

I own a home in Ocala, Florida that was re roofed 20 2004. The homeowners insurance will not renew our policy unless we put on a new roof. It's only a little over 10 years old. Is this normal?

On 2015-02-23 by JO

How long will 240# celotex shingles with 15 pound felt last?

On 2015-01-06 - by (mod) -

J
I'm sorry for the frustration that you describe. If the company chooses to refuse to do business with you that's an issue to take up with the company's warranty or sales and marketing departments or if necessary an attorney. I don't generally recommend the last alternative as the aggravation and costs for all parties can be significant, possibly more than the cost of a replacement roof.

InspectAPedia is an independent publisher of building, environmental, and forensic inspection, diagnosis, and repair information provided free to the public - we have no business nor financial connection with any manufacturer or service provider discussed at our website.

On 2015-01-06 by J

I'm a 2nd owner with a failed Tamko roof, many of my neighbors who are 1st owners have gotten there roof payments from Tamko, who refused to do business with us. There was never a written warranty given to the 1st owners and California takes the position that they must treat us equally, how can I get them to help me?

...

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