How do you know when shingles need replacing?
Short answer. Shingles need replacing when they stop shedding water reliably: bare asphalt showing through lost granules, edges curling up or centers bulging, cracks through the mat, or creases and tears from wind. A few bad shingles can be swapped out, but when these signs show up across several slopes, the roof itself is due.
What each sign means
- Granule loss. Some loose granules in the gutters is normal on a new roof. Dark, shiny or bare patches on an older roof mean the asphalt is exposed to UV and will deteriorate quickly.
- Cupping. The edges turn up. Often a sign of age and attic heat.
- Clawing. The edges stay down but the middle bulges up. Usually advanced aging.
- Cracking. Splits across the shingle mean the asphalt has lost flexibility, and wind will finish the job.
- Blistering. Small raised bubbles, often from heat or trapped moisture. Popped blisters lose granules and can be mistaken for hail hits.
- Creases. A straight line across a tab where wind folded it back. The seal is broken even if the shingle lies flat again.
- Missing shingles. The exposed underlayment beneath was never meant to face sun and rain.
How to look safely
Use binoculars from the yard and from a second-story window, check the gutters and downspout outlets for heavy granule piles, and look at the attic decking on a bright day. Do not walk an older roof; brittle shingles crack underfoot and the slope is a fall risk.
Repair or replace
If the problems are limited to a few shingles and the rest of the roof is still flexible, a repair is reasonable. If several slopes show the same wear, replacement is the better use of money. Hail can mimic aging, so a sudden outbreak of granule loss after a storm deserves a closer look; see Georgia hail season and signs you need a new roof.