Racked shingles

your thoughts…
pros, cons…
warranty…
future looks…

I have heard myths that when the water bonds line up like they do that it forms a pattern for the water to flow and causes premature wear in the water bonds,but it is only a myth,perhaps it did occur years ago with the thick butt asphalt shingles but not with the fiberglass shingles.All roofs in the southeast are racked on a 30/36 pattern ,I have been doing it this way for 35 years and dont foresee any changes in my area,as there are no problems just myths.All shingle manufactuors warranty this pattern .It is required to run the arcutectual shingles on a 45 pattern but not a 3-tab shingle.cheers

i see racked 3 tabs in my area that are 5 years old and you can def. see the pattern…almost everytime. maybe it has something to do with climate (but i doubt it)

We used to see a pattern which were different shades ,like 1 bundle was a shade lighter than the next bundle but since all shingle are a blend now we no longer see that.The only 3-tab shingles run on a 45 pattern you will see in the southeastern states are only isolated and very few where a roofer came in from Texas and done one before the contractor seen it.I roofed for Action Roofing in Houston for a couple of years doing complaint jobs for GAF so I know both ways to run shingles but I dont know why one area does it one way and another area does it another way .I hope we aren’t beating a dead horse here. http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s4/bushhog_photos/other_beatingA_DeadHorse.gif

I always rack 3 tabs (I don’t see too many though).
It is the only reliable way that I know of to get everything to line up right.
I haven’t noticed any of the patterns you are talking about.

Did you know that Certainteed 30 yr 3-tabs exceed 30 yr Landmarks for wind resistance?

[quote=“-Axiom-”]I always rack 3 tabs (I don’t see too many though).
It is the only reliable way that I know of to get everything to line up right.
I haven’t noticed any of the patterns you are talking about.

Did you know that Certainteed 30 yr 3-tabs exceed 30 yr Landmarks for wind resistance?[/quote]

If you havent been to Texas you probally wouldnt know,they run their 3-tab shingles with a 5" exposure and 5" off set at a 45 degree angle where none of the water bonds match up ,whereas we use the 30/36 bond line pattern which the bond lines are in a straight up the roof pattern.You would have to see it ,maybe someone will post a pic,I’m not driving 800 miles to get one.

I have used the 5" offset method before.
It is useful for really long runs that are next to impossible to keep vertically aligned, without major corrections.
5" offset is a good way to run Independance’s.

Hi,

The blends make it easier to see if you rack them or not.

I can tell from day one if you racked them or not. Not all colors.

I rack 3-tabs. Nickel Gray was the first blend I noticed to show racking from day 1.

I rack them and always have. Although only about 2% of my jobs are with three tabs.

Certainteed recommends racking the Super Shangles.

What brand of 3-tabs do you usually use Lefty?
I have noticed the patterns you are talking about but never with a Certainteed 3-tab.
Without a doubt Certainteed makes the best 3-tabs, the ends are always square and they are all the same size…
Certainteed also has superior color blending technology, and the packaging is much better also.

Man, I hate plastic wrappers…

[quote=“-Axiom-”].

Man, I hate plastic wrappers…[/quote]

if im not mistaken…GAF is going back to kraft paper wrappers with the new ELK merger.

Hi,

I use 99% GAF products.

Three tabs and other tabs like Grand Manor or Hattaras
we always rack.Timberlines and other laminates we do not rack. There is no problem this way.

FWIW

Not the best light for the photo, but you can see the pattern.

Same shingles up close.

thats exactly what i was talking about.

I’ve only seen one roof in my area with shingles splitting like that and that was back in the early 1980s.I tear off 20year shingles on a regular basis that have been on for 20+ years and dont have splits like that,looks like defective materials to me.

Hello,
In the mid 80’s Genstar produced a very poor quality shingle that split like that. I was replacing roofs that we had installed 2 to 3 years earlier. That is definitely a material defect and not caused by water.

Keith

That cracking has nothing to do with racking.Its class action suit cracking fiberglass from the 80s and 90s.
If you been roofing long enough you should know this.

you dont think it would have anything to do with the plywood butted tight to each other and deck movement?

I put the pics on just to show the pattern caused by racking. I looked at this roof last year and turned it down. They wanted it replaced with metal but I did’nt have the time. I have’nt worked with asphalt shingles for about 15 yrs.

I’m not sure why the shingles cracked. But, they are just split at the ends.

Was the material defect somehow limited to the first and last tab of the shingle?