Mike Silvers, CPRC, Owner, Silvers Systems Inc. and FRSA Technical Director
Last month, I wrote an article addressing comments that were made about asphalt shingles that caused a firestorm within the roofing industry and beyond (www.floridaroof.com/frm2-25p14). Since then, as you may be aware, things have accelerated. You could have heard about this issue by reading the article or by the
coverage on the subject by the media. FRSA was kept busy with the large number of requests for comments and interviews that we were happy to conduct.
Many consumers are concerned that they may have bought an inferior roof covering that won’t provide protection during a hurricane. I can assure them that this is not the case and that there is no need to panic. Unfortunately, some of these concerns have been brought about by what is often incomplete and sometimes
inaccurate information. I will try to offer some viewpoints. Some of which I’ve shared previously and some that you may not be familiar with.
The Florida Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance recently held a presentation and panel discussion on hurricane and flood mitigation. A large portion of the two-hour meeting dealt with concerns about the perceived performance of asphalt shingles. The meeting was chaired by Senator Blaise Ingolia with Senator Barbara Sharief as vice chair. The presenters and panelists present were:
■ Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director, Division of Emergency Management (FDEM)
■ Michael Yaworsky, Insurance Commission, Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR)
■ Steven Fielder, Program Director, My Safe Florida Home
■ Michael Newman, General Council, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
■ Bill Truex, Owner of Truex Preferred Construction and a Charlotte County Commissioner.
Each delivered a presentation addressing the overall mitigation subject. Senators in attendance were encouraged to ask questions. In most cases, the questions dealt with asphalt shingles. This was an esteemed panel with a wide range of knowledge but they may have lacked a deep understanding of the complexity of today’s roof coverings. Several Senators expressed how fortunate they were to have access to experts on roofing that their constituents didn’t have access to. After their individual presentations, the panel discussion with additional questions took place. It became clear that Commissioner Yaworsky’s recent statements about the future of asphalt shingles in Florida and the great amount of interest it generated, would drive most of the conversation. The Commissioner did offer a fair assessment of our current situation and clearly has had exposure to the subject matter. Early questions and comments were pertaining to shingle “salesmen” referring to 30- and 40-year shingles when they only last 20 years or less. As the meeting went on, the 20-year reference went first to 15 years and then 10 or maybe even less. During the discussions a mention was made about metal roofs lasting up to 50 years. These kinds of generalities about very complex technical issues are a big part of what is driving the improper perceptions about the expected serviceable life of different roof coverings.
Large parts of several presentations and several answers provided by the panel referred to a document prepared by Applied Research Associates, Inc. for the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation titled 2024 Residential Wind-Loss Mitigation Study. This is a study that I am familiar with having referred to it in a presentation that I made for the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) in August of last year called Post-Hurricane Perceptions Matter. The report had just been released and I had serious concerns about some of the methodology used and the conclusions it arrived at. These concerns have only increased as I have reviewed it further. I’ll share just a few of these here.
■ Some of the projections concerning the performance of asphalt shingles during hurricanes are based on research completed in 2013 that looked back to effectiveness of seal strips on shingles installed 10 years before (2003). This approach negates any improvements made in product design since then. These seal strips are a critical component in the wind resistance of asphalt shingles.
■ The report assumes that most roofs in Florida do not have secondary water barriers, even though they are required by the FBC. Our experiences do not support that conclusion. The inclusion of a secondary water barrier significantly improves the ability of the roof system to keep water from entering the structure, eliminating costly repairs and allowing the occupants to continue using the building. A roof that doesn’t leak during a hurricane should be considered a success and that performance characteristic shouldn’t be overlooked when accessing roof covering damage.
■ The report’s estimates of expected metal roof performance are based on standing seam metal panels which are among the more expensive options of all metal roofing products.
■ During the presentation, data was cited from the report that a shingle roof that is more than 10 years old would have a 100 percent chance of being damaged at a 100 mph wind speed. Keep in mind that this damage is anything that is visible regardless of severity. Having just experienced over 100 mph winds where I live during Hurricane Milton, I can assure you that many roofs of that age were not damaged.
These examples are a few of the conclusions reached in the report. They were not meant to cast doubt on the performance of any roof system but are meant to demonstrate our issues with many of the conclusions in the report.
Interestingly, the report includes a possibly unexpected conclusion that metal roof panels are not the most wind resistant roof covering at all wind speeds. The report estimates more damage occurs on metal panel roofs than asphalt shingle roofs at higher wind speeds. It states that standing seam metal roofs provide
better wind performance than asphalt shingles for wind speeds of less than 100 mph. However, in the 110 to 120 mph range, metal roofs performed worse than asphalt shingle or tile roofs. This information has received much less attention than other portions of the report. Regarding metal roofs, the report also stated, “However, it was observed that when damage occurred, the probability of a larger percentage of roof cover damage was higher than the other two roof cover types.”
Moving forward, it is clear that roof coverings and their resilience will be an important topic that will be considered by many government, roofing and insurance industry forums for some time to come. The accuracy of the information used, particularly by regulators, will be critical. When roof systems are the primary topic of any of these discussions, the viewpoint of the roofing industry should always be part of those discussions. This is where true expertise on the subject exists.
It may seem that I have been defending the shingle industry a lot recently. In my view, that is a fair assessment. They have come under unfair criticism in many instances. Rest assured, we will do the same for any proven roof covering that is similarly mistreated. I would also like to point out some areas where asphalt
shingle manufacturers have, in my opinion, some work to do. According to many shingle manufacturers, they only ship ASTM D7158 Type H or ASTM D3161 Type F to Florida. This means that the least expensive 3-tab shingle has the same wind resistance as the very best laminated or designer shingles. This indicates to me
that a different test standard or approach may be needed. The current thought that says they all meet the same wind resistance doesn’t help any of us with the information we need to pick a more wind resistant shingle and it leaves us to judge all shingle wind performance by the lowest performing shingle. As the code section in the insert on page 16 shows, this is a complex subject but, surely, we can do better. One way that contractors have historically led consumers to better performing shingles is by pointing to the length of the manufacturer’s warranties. This may not be the best way to differentiate between performance but, as a contractor, it is a helpful way to start a conversation about an upgrade. Lately though, it seems that nearly every shingle, regardless of expected performance, has the same limited lifetime warranty. If we are going to convince consumers and regulators that there are better performing asphalt shingles available, we need to have something of substance to show them.
For those of you who know me or who are regular readers of this column, it will come as no surprise that I like analogies. So, I will close with a couple. A previous FRSA Technical Director, Jerry Dykhuisen, who served in this position over 30 years ago, shared one with me when Monroe County (the Florida Keys), his home
county, was considering banning shingles (and all but metal). I’ll paraphrase his comments here: “You know how you can grab one of Florida’s lizards by the tail, it will pull off but the lizard will survive? Apply this thinking to a shingle roof that may have some cosmetic damage but has remained watertight during a hurricane.” Yes, Jerry, I’m still using that one. This second one is my own (I apologize in advance), but I believe it makes an important point that should be considered as we move forward.
“When discussing roof system performance, limiting ourselves to the general terms of "shingles," "tile" and "metal" is like trying to compare vehicles using only "cars," "trucks" and "SUVs." A more shallow approach couldn't be taken. Each of these types of roof systems has so many subsets and upgrades to consider that referring to them this way is almost useless. Where roof coverings are concerned, a great amount of experience with all roof coverings is required to properly analyze the differences in their expected performance for a particular building and its owner’s situation. Let’s treat all viable roof coverings even handedly.
Mike Silvers, CPRC, is owner of Silvers Systems Inc., and is consulting with FRSA as Director of Technical Services. Mike is an FRSA Past President, Life Member and Campanella Award recipient and brings over 50 years of industry knowledge and experience to FRSA’s team.
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