We’ve signed a contract to install solar panels on our roof, and the guy who did the site inspection said that we might want to have someone look at a few places on the roof, or consider if we want to have all the shingles replaced. Although the roof is about 20 years old, because the shingles came with a 50 year warranty, up until that moment we thought we were okay to install solar panels with a nominal lifetime of 25 years.
I called the guy who installed the roof and he said that although the shingles themselves are warranteed for 50 years, his work was only warranteed for 5, and that the material warrantee is pro-rated, so if they fail we only get a percentage of the original price. He said that if you put up solar and then have to replace the roof, it’s a big deal and expensive. The solar installer (who doesn’t do roofing) said $5,000 or more.
The original roofer said he doesn’t do inspections, but he’s going to provide an estimate for a whole new roof.
We’re having another roofing company come out to look over the current status, but of course, he also has an incentive to tell me it needs to be replaced. I’m going to try to make it clear that we aren’t going to hire him to put on a new roof, but that may not be very effective.
So I thought of calling a house inspector to get a more impartial report, but three I called said they only do full inspections and wouldn’t come out just to inspect a roof.
The estimate for the new roof and the other roofer who’s coming out are both arriving tomorrow, so we’ll have more information then, but what does your experience with roofs tell you?
Can shingles really last 50 years, or was that marketing BS?
If they don’t last 50 years, when are they likely to start failing?
What’s the failure mode? A few at a time (which might not require a full replacement), or lots at more or less the same time?
Do the solar panels protect the shingles to some degree, lengthening their lives?
What climate are you in? I’m not an expert in composite shingles, but for the most part in construction it doesn’t pay to over-promise. Yes, the warranty is materials only and pro-rated (SOP unfortunately), but if they market them and then the product fails at scale they take a big hit financially and reputation-wise. Shingles fail by becoming brittle, losing their aggregate, or losing their adhesion to their neighbor so they can blow off. I would also feel more confident if they were Owens-Corning vs. Joe-blow’s economy 50-year 3-tab.
Shingles don’t last 50 years I mean maybe some, but not as an entire roof. The Metal Roofs last 50+ years. Shingles usually start failing at about the 20 year point but sooner depending on wind conditions as I recall.
Panels both protect and potentially cause some issues for shingles. But overall they protect. the areas they cover. These shingles are not going through the sun heat/cool cycle daily.
As to issues, if the installer does a poor job, the panels can have some issues in strong winds. But this is not the norm.
I’m in Los Angeles with a different climate and a different roof. When we started the process of install solar panels, our roof was about half way through an expected 30-year lifetime. We could have done a detailed inspection and repair of the roof to give some confidence of lasting the 20-year lifetime of the solar panels. But we felt better to install a new roof before putting on the solar panels.
Our contractor was a general contractor who does whole-house renovations. Not the lowest bidder and handled everything, and giving us a single point* of contact for every issue that came up. We’re generally satisfied with the end result. (Biggest regret: not installing a water hose tap on the roof to ease washing the solar panels.)
Edited to add:
*If you do have roof work done, have in writing who’s responsible for roof problems after the solar panels are installed. A common problem is the roof contractor blaming the solar contractor, and vice versa, leading to headaches when a problem occurs.
Small world–my Godmother owned Eagle Head above Singing Beach–spent a lot of time there when I was young. IM(very)HO you’re in the sweet spot for composite roofs–not too dry, not too hot, can be windy but not crazy. You’ll likely have moss before the shingles degrade enough to worry. I’d go for it.
We went through the same process just a few miles south of you outside Boston. We expect to get 25 years out of our roof, I would never expect a shingled roof in New England to last 50 years. We’re 10 years in on this roof and if we did the standard 25 year lease on solar panels it would mean we were responsible to remove and restore the solar system when needed. That was a deal breaker for us.
If you have a 20 year old roof, even if the shingles are guaranteed for 50, chances are you will need roof work well before that. And any money you get from the materials (which will be prorated) is going to be a small fraction of the cost of the work.
I have GAF Timberline shingles with a ‘Lifetime’ guarantee. If I get 30 years out of them, I’ll be satisfied.
If I was installing solar on my 20 yr old roof, my decision to replace would depend on the condition of the existing roof, so inspections from roofers should be helpful. The two main long term enemies of roof shingles are the sun and poor attic ventilation.
On your questions:
Can shingles really last 50 years, or was that marketing BS?
IMHO, it’s a marketing ploy but it depends on where you live and attic ventilation.
If they don’t last 50 years, when are they likely to start failing?
No definitive answer. This depends on climate, sun exposure, roof ventilation, etc.
What’s the failure mode? A few at a time (which might not require a full replacement), or lots at more or less the same time?
Usually, the southern exposure shows the most damage unless it’s well shaded. Loss of shingle mineral coating and curling shingles are the usual signs of progressive failure, wear and tear, aging, etc.
Do the solar panels protect the shingles to some degree, lengthening their lives?
Only to the extent of shading the shingles directly beneath the panels. These areas will maintain their color better and life expectancy but obviously, this will not extend the life of other exposed shingles. If you install solar now without replacing your roof, in 10 years or so you may be faced with at least a partial roof replacement at non-solar areas but you may soon have to deal with the shingles below the panels some time after that’s done. If this was my home, I would not include this question as part of the decision process.
Just to add a failure mode of a roof, we had one fail at multiple points all at once, so water started coming in at 3 or 4 different places which we had to have buckets under, and that roof was at its expected lifetime. Thinking back it must of had a previous weather event to trigger this though I can’t recall if that happened as it was quite a while back.
FWIW, a number of roofing companies in my area are now installing solar as well. I spoke with one as I did not want to pull the trigger yet as the roof will likely need to be re-shingled within the next 2-3 years. He indicated it would only be an additional $500 to remove and reinstall an existing system when the roof needs to be redone.
Related to the OP, shingles in the FL sun here seem to not last very long. Mine are only 10 years only, and while we’ve not had any shingle-related issues, the amount of sediment that washes off of them is crazy to me. I have a few steep gables were rain runs down onto a flat patio roof and is channeled into gutters, and with the rain we’ve been getting here, every two months I need to get up there and remove all the sediment clogging the gutters.
