Inspect Your Shingles Regularly
It’s important to periodically examine your shingles on your Memphis home for damage after you have removed all debris. Check them every spring and fall, and after a hailstorm or high winds. Promptly replace any cracked, curled-up, broken or missing shingles. If you don’t, rain water could seep under the sheathing and leak into your sidewalls or ceiling.

Examine the roof up close from a ladder. Particularly check the roof ridge and valleys for cracked shingles, and the bottom and side rows for curled back or broken shingles.

Replacing a damaged shingle is a relatively easy repair.

What You’ll Need to Replace Shingles

    Materials:

• replacement shingles
• roofing nails
• roofing cement

    Tools:

• hammer
• utility knife
• long knife
• small piece of plywood.

STEP 1: Cut through sealer strips

If installed properly, each shingle should have eight nails holding it in place: four in the middle, about ½ inch above the tab cutouts (these four nails also go through the top of the shingle below), and four along the top (these four nails are pounded through the middle of the shingle above). See the diagram that shows how shingles are installed.

To replace one shingle, you need to loosen at least three shingles: the one being replaced and the two shingles on the two rows above the damaged shingle. You will need to cut through the sealer strip (also called “adhesive line”) on these shingles. The sealer strip is a dashed line of asphalt adhesive that runs across the middle of the shingle. To loosen, slide a long knife, putty knife or small crowbar under the damaged shingle. The tool must reach over halfway up the shingle. Slide it along the entire length of the shingle. Repeat this procedure for the shingles on the two rows above the damaged shingle.

STEP 2: Remove nails along middle of damaged shingle
You do not want to crack or split the shingles above or below the damaged shingle. Carefully slide a pry bar under the damaged shingle. You might want to slide a piece of plywood under the pry bar to protect the shingle underneath. Gently pry up the damaged shingle, being careful not to damage the shingles above. You do not need to pry the damaged shingle up very far-just enough to loosen the four middle nails.

Remove the pry bar and plywood. Carefully lift up the tabs on the shingle above the damaged shingle. Work the nails (in the middle of the damaged shingle) back and forth with your fingers until you can remove them.

STEP 3: Repeat procedure on next level
Remove the four nails holding down the top of the damaged shingle. Because these nails are also holding down the middle of the shingle just above, you will need to gently pry up this shingle to loosen nails.

Carefully slide the pry bar under the shingle just above the damaged shingle. Repeat the previous procedure to loosen nails. You do not need to remove these nails. Loosen them just enough so they no longer go through the damaged shingle.

STEP 4: Remove shingle
Slide out the damaged shingle. Use it to size the replacement shingle (if it is not full width.)

STEP 5: Replace shingle
Make sure the replacement shingle is the same size as the old shingle. If not, use a utility knife to cut to fit. Slide new shingle into place, and set flush with adjacent shingles. It should fit snugly.

STEP 6: Nail
Attach shingle with roofing nails. To prevent leaks, pound nails in already existing holes. If this is not possible, seal the existing nail holes in the shingles with roofing cement.

You will probably need to pound in the nails after you have laid all the shingles flat. This means you will have to hit the nails through the shingle immediately above. To prevent damaging the shingles, place a board on top of the shingle and hit the hammer on the board.

STEP 7: Cement

Cover all the nails with roofing cement. Press the upper shingles on top of the cement to seal. You may need to weight it down overnight.

Locating Air Leaks

First, make a list of obvious air leaks (drafts). The potential energy savings from reducing drafts in a home may range from 5% to 30% per year, and the home is generally much more comfortable afterward. Check for indoor air leaks, such as gaps along the baseboard or edge of the flooring and at junctures of the walls and ceiling. Check to see if air can flow through these places:

• Electrical outlets
• Switch plates
• Window frames
• Baseboards
• Weather stripping around doors
• Fireplace dampers
• Attic hatches
• Wall- or window-mounted air conditioners.

Also look for gaps around pipes and wires, electrical outlets, foundation seals, and mail slots. Check to see if the caulking and weather stripping are applied properly, leaving no gaps or cracks, and are in good condition.

Inspect windows and doors for air leaks. See if you can rattle them, since movement means possible air leaks. If you can see daylight around a door or window frame, then the door or window leaks. You can usually seal these leaks by caulking or weather stripping them. Check the storm windows to see if they fit and are not broken. You may also wish to consider replacing your old windows and doors with newer, high-performance ones. If new factory-made doors or windows are too costly, you can install low-cost plastic sheets over the windows.

If you are having difficulty locating leaks, you may want to conduct a basic building pressurization test:

1. First, close all exterior doors, windows, and fireplace flues.
2. Turn off all combustion appliances such as gas burning furnaces and water heaters.
3. Then turn on all exhaust fans (generally located in the kitchen and bathrooms) or use a large window fan to suck the air out of the rooms.

This test increases infiltration through cracks and leaks, making them easier to detect. You can use incense sticks or your damp hand to locate these leaks. If you use incense sticks, moving air will cause the smoke to waver, and if you use your damp hand, any drafts will feel cool to your hand.

On the outside of your house, inspect all areas where two different building materials meet, including:

• All exterior corners
• Where siding and chimneys meet
• Areas where the foundation and the bottom of exterior brick or siding meet.

You should plug and caulk holes or penetrations for faucets, pipes, electric outlets, and wiring. Look for cracks and holes in the mortar, foundation, and siding, and seal them with the appropriate material. Check the exterior caulking around doors and windows, and see whether exterior storm doors and primary doors seal tightly.

When sealing any home, you must always be aware of the danger of indoor air pollution and combustion appliance “backdrafts.” Backdrafting is when the various combustion appliances and exhaust fans in the home compete for air. An exhaust fan may pull the combustion gases back into the living space. This can obviously create a very dangerous and unhealthy situation in the home.

In homes where a fuel is burned (i.e., natural gas, fuel oil, propane, or wood) for heating, be certain the appliance has an adequate air supply. Generally, one square inch of vent opening is required for each 1,000 Btu of appliance input heat. When in doubt, contact your local utility company, energy professional, or ventilation contractor.

Insulation

Heat loss through the ceiling and walls in your home could be very large if the insulation levels are less than the recommended minimum. When your house was built, the builder likely installed the amount of insulation recommended at that time. Given today’s energy prices (and future prices that will probably be higher), the level of insulation might be inadequate, especially if you have an older home.

If the attic hatch is located above a conditioned space, check to see if it is at least as heavily insulated as the attic, is weather stripped, and closes tightly. In the attic, determine whether openings for items such as pipes, ductwork, and chimneys are sealed. Seal any gaps with an expanding foam caulk or some other permanent sealant.

While you are inspecting the attic, check to see if there is a vapor barrier under the attic insulation. The vapor barrier might be tarpaper, Kraft paper attached to fiberglass batts, or a plastic sheet. If there does not appear to be a vapor barrier, you might consider painting the interior ceilings with vapor barrier paint. This reduces the amount of water vapor that can pass through the ceiling. Large amounts of moisture can reduce the effectiveness of insulation and promote structural damage.

Make sure that the attic vents are not blocked by insulation. You also should seal any electrical boxes in the ceiling with flexible caulk (from the living room side or attic side) and cover the entire attic floor with at least the current recommended amount of insulation.

Checking a wall’s insulation level is more difficult. Select an exterior wall and turn off the circuit breaker or unscrew the fuse for any outlets in the wall. Be sure to test the outlets to make certain that they are not “hot.” Check the outlet by plugging in a functioning lamp or portable radio. Once you are sure your outlets are not getting any electricity, remove the cover plate from one of the outlets and gently probe into the wall with a thin, long stick or screwdriver. If you encounter a slight resistance, you have some insulation there. You could also make a small hole in a closet, behind a couch, or in some other unobtrusive place to see what, if anything, the wall cavity is filled with. Ideally, the wall cavity should be totally filled with some form of insulation material. Unfortunately, this method cannot tell you if the entire wall is insulated, or if the insulation has settled. Only a thermographic inspection can do this.

Heating/Cooling Equipment

Inspect heating and cooling equipment annually, or as recommended by the manufacturer. If you have a forced-air furnace, check your filters and replace them as needed. Generally, you should change them about once every month or two, especially during periods of high usage. Have a professional check and clean your equipment once a year.

If the unit is more than 15 years old, you should consider replacing your system with one of the newer, energy-efficient units. A new unit would greatly reduce your energy consumption, especially if the existing equipment is in poor condition. Check your ductwork for dirt streaks, especially near seams. These indicate air leaks, and they should be sealed with a duct mastic. Insulate any ducts or pipes that travel through unheated spaces. An insulation R-Value of 6 is the recommended minimum.

Lighting

Energy for lighting accounts for about 10% of your electric bill. Examine the wattage size of the light bulbs in your house. You may have 100-watt (or larger) bulbs where 60 or 75 watts would do. You should also consider compact fluorescent lamps for areas where lights are on for hours at a time. Your electric utility may offer rebates or other incentives for purchasing energy-efficient lamps.

Learn More

Evaluation Tools

• Home Energy Saver
  Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Home Energy Checkup
  Alliance to Save Energy

Financing & Incentives

• DOE Weatherization Assistance Program
  Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• Find Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency
  Energy Savers

Reading List

• Krigger, J.; Dorsi, C. (2004). Residential Energy: Cost Savings and Comfort for Existing Buildings. Helena, MT: Saturn Resource Management.

Source

• U.S. Department of Energy

Your roof can comprise up to 50% of your home’s exterior, what you do with that 50% can have a tremendous impact on the overall look of your home. With that in mind, you should approach your exterior color choices with the same care as you choose interior colors for your home.

Choose A Complementary Color

Shingle Manufacturers offer a wide array of distinctive shingle color blends you can use as a design tool to create your own unique exterior decor.

If you look closely at the shingle color blend you choose, you’ll see a combination of different colors. For example, a seemingly gray shingle could actually be a blend of gray, green, brown or black granules. By “pulling out” individual granule color(s), and using this color for other exterior elements like siding, paint, trim, brick and entryways, your entire exterior will look coordinated and complementary. And your home’s appeal from the street will dramatically increase.

Here are some tips regarding shingle color:

Complementary colors and shades — highlight any architectural style, bringing out the beauty of brick, siding, exterior paint and trim.

Darker color blends — provide contrasting color for accenting windows, doors and other architectural elements.

Lighter color blends — simplify a home’s lines and angles, making the home appear larger.

Depicted below are symptoms that indicate it may be time for a new roof. In the Memphis Area, due to the amount of UV exposure we receive and the temperature differential between summer and winter, shingles typically last 75-80% of their “rated” lifetime. So, a 20 year shingle can be expected to last from 15 to 18 years.

If you notice any of the indicators listed below, contact us for a roof inspection report or a free replacement estimate!

Shingle Roof Problem Indicators

Shake Roof Problem Indicators