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Adequacy of the Factory Asphalt Shingle Adhesive Strip for Wind Damage Resistance
Wind resistance rating of asphalt shingles depends on the combination of manufacturer's glue strips & / or additional onsite sealing
- POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about about the cellophane strip protecting the glue strip on asphalt roof shingles: should it be removed or not?
Asphalt roof shingle wind damage resistance:
Does the factory-installed adhesive strip found on / between asphalt roof shingles provide adequate protection against wind-uplift damage in hurricane areas or other locations subject to high winds?
Yes if the asphalt shingle product was designed for high wind areas and installed at least after about 2009 in the U.S. Other asphalt roof shingle products may merit use of additional sealant between shingle courses to protect against wind damage. As we explain below, it depends ...
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Adequacy of the Asphalt Shingle Factory Adhesive Strip in High Wind Areas
On occasions, particularly during high wind conditions such as hurricanes, defective glue strips or adhesive strips on the underside of asphalt shingles may not provide sufficient adhesion, or if the shingles were not properly handled and the glue strip was dirty, an adhesion failure can lead to failure of the shingle tabs to adhere to the nailed-down header of the shingle above.
[Click to enlarge any image]
The close-up photo of a stamp on the back of an asphalt roof shingle and visible through a cellophane-protective strip - at left - illustrates the "Miami-Dade County Approved" imprint found on the underside of an asphalt shingle that meets Florida's wind-resistance requirements.
In this case exposure to high winds can cause shingles to tear or blow off of the roof, increasing the degree of water damage inside the building when such winds are accompanied by rain.
We have heard from a few "experts" familiar with wind damaged roofs (in coastal areas exposed to hurricanes and in other high-wind areas) previously recommended both the removal of the cellophane strip and the installation of double-sticky-sided roofing adhesive mastic tape or roof cement under shingle tabs at the time of asphalt roof shingle installation.
Really? We agree that adding sealant may be (or may have previously been) appropriate for some shingle products in some wind zones or weather conditions and may even follow the manufacturers' instructions.
But you don't need to remove the protective strip on the under-side of an asphalt shingle just to add sealant beneath the tabs of the next shingle course. And modern wind-resistant shingles don't need extra sealant - as we elaborate just below.
Watch out: furthermore, for some shingles or brands we have observed that tearing off a release strip that happens to have strongly bonded to a shingle can sometimes pull off part of the shingle back, seriously damaging the asphalt shingle and shortening its life.
More attempts at the "yes" answer on removing roof shingle cellophane strips
One of our readers, Leonard Wheeler, reported that independent analysis of wind damaged roofs concluded that "... many shingles and attachment adhesives used were not adequate for the wind speeds that occurred.
The most common failure mode was lifting of the tabs due to failure of the self-seal adhesive, and subsequent tearing of the shingles at the fasteners (Smith, 1994)."
However, because the release strip is nowhere near the glue strip of the shingle course below, the release strip in place will have nothing to do with whether or not the shingle seals adequately from sunlight and heat on the roof. Rather, if more wind uplift resistance is needed, extra adhesive might be added during roof installation.
Our associate, Mark Cramer, a Florida home inspector and educator in the field, reported that houses suffering damage during Hurricane Andrew were generally those not built to code, and that code-built homes survived the hurricane with minimal damage. Mr. Cramer provides this update:
Asphalt roof shingles sold today (2009) in high wind zones are totally different from what we used in the early 90’s. Forget the number of nails also, four is fine for most shingles used today. The problem was not number of nails but failure of adhesion.
Today’s high wind [asphalt roofing] shingles can’t be pulled apart once they seal.
Other measures to reduce water damage to buildings in coastal or high wind areas include use of roof flashing tape or strips of ice-and-water-shield type products over the butt joints between sections of plywood or OSB roof decking.
Watch out: The presence of roofing felt under shingles won't prevent roof leaks after shingles are installed, since the shingle nails will have made thousands of penetrations in that membrane. If that's what you're after you will need a complete roof underlayment using an adhesive membrane that seals around nails driven through it.
...
Continue reading at WIND DAMAGE to ROOFS or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.
Or see these
Asphalt Shingle Sealing Cellophane Strip Articles
- ASPHALT ROOF SHINGLES - home
Suggested citation for this web page
CELLOPHANE STRIP ADHESIVE ADEQUACY in HIGH WIND AREAS at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.
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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING ROOFING
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Citations & References
In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.
- [1] FEMA "Asphalt Shingle Roofing for High Wind Regions, Home Builders' Guide to Coastal Construction ", FEMA 499, August 2005, Technical Fact Sheet No. 20, [To recommend practices for installing asphalt roof shingles that will enhance wind resistance in high-wind, coastal regions.]
- [2] [ FEMA, Asphalt Shingle Roofing for High Wind Regions, Home Builder's Guide to Coastal Construction, Technical Guide No. 73, retrieved 3/5/13
- Mark Cramer Inspection Services Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, Mr. Cramer is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors and is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator. (727) 595-4211 mark@BestTampaInspector.com
- [6] Thanks to Leonard Wheeler, Retired DCA Disaster Assessment Engineer for Hurricane Andrew, for questions leading to clarification on the proper handling of asphalt shingle glue strip protective cellophane during roof installation 3/29/09 .
- [7] Thanks to James A. Skees, PE, President and Sr. Forensic Engineer, OnTheRock Engineering, LLC, 604 W. Jefferson Street, LaGrange, KY 40031
502-225-6203 FAX 225-6204, for commenting on the roof cellophane strip problem, on wind damage to roof shingles, shingle blow off, improper shingle nailing, and roof shingle laddering underlying defects, August 2010. Mr. Skees is a forensic engineer who works for insurance companies. Mr. Skees can also be reached by email at jimskees@ontherockeng.com
The company has published online a sample Tornado Report
"Residential Wind Damage Evaluation", Wind Damage Sample, found at http://www.ontherockeng.com/Sample%20Tornado%20Report.pdf - [8] GAF Materials Corporation, Grand Timberline Premium Architectural Shingle Application Instructions.
http://www.gaf.com/Content/Documents/20573.pdf discusses the requirements for successful asphalt shingle installation including the condition of the roof deck, the use of roofing felt underlayment, the selection of roofing nails by type and length and penetration of the roof decking, and the role of glue strips on the back side of asphalt roof shingles. - [9] "Clear Plastic Release Film ... Leave On or Take Off?", Technical Advisory Bulletin No. TAB-R-2011-106, 04/11/2011, GAF Technical Services Department, GAF Corporation, Technical Services Tel: 800-766-3411, Website: www.gaf.com retrieved 6/13/2013 original source http://www.gaf.com/Warranties_Technical_Documents/Steep_Slope_Technical_ Advisory_Bulletins/2011_Steep_Slope_Technical _Advisory_Bulletins_English/TAB_R_2011_106_Clear_Plastic_Release_Film_ Leave_on_or_Take_Off_Steep_Slope_Technical_Point.pdf
- Roofing The Right Way, Steven Bolt, McGraw-Hill Professional; 3rd edition (November 1, 1996), ISBN-13: 978-0070066502, p. 350 for one of many citations on this point.
- "Hurricane Damage to Residential Structures: Risk and Mitigation", Jon K. Ayscue,
The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, published by the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado, November 1996. Abstract:
"Property damage and loss from hurricanes have increased with population growth in coastal areas, and climatic factors point to more frequent and intense hurricanes in the future. This paper describes potential hurricane hazards from wind and water. Damage to residential structures from three recent intense hurricanes - Hugo, Andrew, and Iniki - shows that wind is responsible for greater property loss than water. The current state-of-the-art building technology is sufficient to reduce damage from hurricanes when properly applied, and this paper discusses those building techniques that can mitigate hurricane damage and recommends measures for mitigating future hurricane damage to homes." - online at www.colorado.edu/hazards/publications/wp/wp94/wp94.html - "Evaluating OSB for Coastal Roofs," Paul Fisette, Coastal Contractor, Winter 2005, online at coastalcontractor.net/pdf/2005/0501/0501eval.pdf . Fisette cites: "Jose Mitrani, a civil engineer and professor at Florida. International University in Miami, was ... Florida’s official damage assessment team. ... After Hurricane Andrew, Florida code advisers ruled OSB sheathing inferior to plywood."
- Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, by Steven Bliss. John Wiley & Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, Hardcover: 320 pages, available from Amazon.com and also Wiley.com. See our book review of this publication.
- Asphalt Roofing Residential Manual from ARMA the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association Website https://www.asphaltroofing.org/product/residential-asphalt-roofing-manual/ ,
- Building Pathology, Deterioration, Diagnostics, and Intervention, Samuel Y. Harris, P.E., AIA, Esq., ISBN 0-471-33172-4, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 [General building science-DF] ISBN-10: 0471331724 ISBN-13: 978-0471331728
- Building Pathology: Principles and Practice, David Watt, Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (March 7, 2008) ISBN-10: 1405161035 ISBN-13: 978-1405161039
- Problems in Roofing Design, B. Harrison McCampbell, Butterworth Heineman, 1991 ISBN 0-7506-9162-X (available used)
- Roofing The Right Way, Steven Bolt, McGraw-Hill Professional; 3rd Ed (1996), ISBN-10: 0070066507, ISBN-13: 978-0070066502
- Smart Guide: Roofing: Step-by-Step Projects, Creative Homeowner (Ed), 2004, ISBN-10: 1580111491, ISBN-13: 978-1580111492
- Steve Bliss's Building Advisor at buildingadvisor.com helps homeowners & contractors plan & complete successful building & remodeling projects: buying land, site work, building design, cost estimating, materials & components, & project management through complete construction. Email: info@buildingadvisor.com
Steven Bliss served as editorial director and co-publisher of The Journal of Light Construction for 16 years and previously as building technology editor for Progressive Builder and Solar Age magazines. He worked in the building trades as a carpenter and design/build contractor for more than ten years and holds a masters degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Excerpts from his recent book, Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction, Wiley (November 18, 2005) ISBN-10: 0471648361, ISBN-13: 978-0471648369, appear throughout this website, with permission and courtesy of Wiley & Sons. Best Practices Guide is available from the publisher, J. Wiley & Sons, and also at Amazon.com - In addition to citations & references found in this article, see the research citations given at the end of the related articles found at our suggested
CONTINUE READING or RECOMMENDED ARTICLES.
- Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. Tel: (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 Email: info@carsondunlop.com. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.
Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission for InspectAPedia to use text excerpts from The HOME REFERENCE BOOK - the Encyclopedia of Homes and to use illustrations from The ILLUSTRATED HOME .
Carson Dunlop Associates provides extensive home inspection education and report writing material. In gratitude we provide links to tsome Carson Dunlop Associates products and services.
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