Roofing Definitions

DEFINITION OF ROOFING TERMS

Throughout this Blog:

By "failure" we mean the inability of a roofing product to pass a Re-sale Inspection with 5 year Certification

By "premature failure" we mean the occurrence of failure BEFORE the end of the warranty period.

By "defective" we mean roofing materials, products or designs that have a history of failing prematurely.

By "history" of failure we do not mean a 100% failure rate or that the majority of products fail prematurely.
Due to the nature of the roofing industry, the limitations of warranties and the fact that many Americans move
every 5 to 7 years, many (or most) premature failures are NOT reported as warranty claims and, therefore,
it's impossible for anyone to track the exact percentage of premature failures.  [1]
A "pattern" of failure establishes a "history" of failure for a roofing shingle.

By "pattern" of failure we mean repeated occurrence of certain conditions that have result in product failure.
In asphalt shingles, conditions that typically result in a "pattern" of failure include (but are not limited to)
excessive granular lass, brittleness, cracking and splitting, blistering, curling, weeping, sealing, fungus, etc.

By "widespread" we mean premature failures occurring over large geographic areas or across the country.

By "pervasive" we mean premature failures occurring throughout many different types or brands of shingles.

By "documented failure" or "documented claims" we mean the existance of reports which record the failure
of a shingle or the request for warranty compensation for a shingle failure.  The "document" recording the
shingle failure is most often, although not necessarily, in written form and could be maintained by the shingle
manufacturer and homeowner (as in a warranty claim) or it could be maintained by a roofing contractor and
homeowner (as in records of roof replacement).  Documented records does not mean "confidential" records.

By "confidential" records we mean records that were disclosed, under seal, during a legal proceeding and
are not a matter of public record.  SRB will not disclose "confidential" records or "confidential" information.

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[1]  At least one asphalt manufacturer (CertainTeed) has admitted it does NOT track shingle performance.
In fact, CertainTeed cannot provide even one example of asphalt shingles lasting 30 years in the Seattle area.
We're not aware of ANY shingle manufacturer that monitors actual performance of it's products.  Amazing.

Without tracking performance there's no way to determine the percentage of shingles failing before 15 years,
it could be 75% or higher and there would be no record (see: Expected Lifespan of Conventional Shingles).

Even if a manufacturer identified that 80% of warranty claims for premature failures were filed before shingles
are 15 years old, that still would not establish the actual percentage of defective shingles sold - because we
don't know the number of failures which are never claimed.
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