Are You a Good Shingle, or a Bad Shingle?

My apologies to the Wizard of Oz for stealing one of the Munchins' famous lines as they ask Dorothy, "Are you a good witch, or a bad witch?"

So...  Which of these shingles is good? That is, which is installed properly?

Look closely. Notice the nail head in the second picture. See how the head is slanted... the nail was not driven in straight and has cut the shingle slightly. Believe it or not, this slanted nail has voided the warranty on the shingle from the shingle manufacturer. Wow! A cut shingle is more susceptible to blow off.

But...

The shingle in the first picture is not right either. See the shiny back stripe that runs from left to right on the shingle just below the nail head. That stripe is called the "tar strip" and it actually bonds itself to the overlapping shingle to prevent blow off in high winds. AND, the nail is supposed to right in the middle of the tar strip. No nail in tar strip, no correct installation!

Not sure about your roof? Call me!

Tom Sinclair

About the House - Home Inspections

Fairhope, Alabama

(251) 990-3169

www.InspectTestAnalyze.com