Black Tar On Back On Roof Shingles

The most common type is known as gloeocapsa magma also known as blue green algae.

Black tar on back on roof shingles.

The shiny black strips form the glue line on the shingle. The black streaks running down roofs are actually a hardy algae called gloeocapsa magma. When to tar a roof. The ideal temperature is 70 degrees f.

Laminated shingles require 4 spots of cement per shingle. When applying roofing tar make sure that you have at least a few consecutive days of sunshine without rain or snow so that the tar has time to cure. The preferred method though is to either replace the shingles that are leaking by removing the damaged shingles and replacing them and the roofing felt underneath or by lifting the row of shingles just above the damaged point and adding new. Each spot should be approximately the size of a quarter and placed 1 to 2 from each end of the tab and near the bottom.

Our photo left shows a typical 3 tab asphalt roof shingle this one is made by gaf. If you have a simple leak in your roof and know exactly where it is then you can apply roofing tar over the affected area to create an effective patch. What is the purpose of the glue strip on asphalt roof shingles. While you may have an isolated incident that lead to a broken or missing shingle sometimes this can be a sign that you have other damaged or weakened areas elsewhere on your roof.

Simply slapping some tar on there instead of having a professional come out to assess could mean that you re leaving other damaged areas open to the elements as well. Roofing felt also known as tar paper serves as both an extra layer of protection between the shingles and the plywood and as a temporary moisture barrier until all the shingles are in place. While you can apply roofing tar at lower temperatures it will not properly set until it reaches 70 degrees. Roofing tar is a sticky black substance used to waterproof roofs before shingles are applied or used on flat roofs to improve their ability to resist water damage.

As the blue green algae accumulate they develop a dark hardened outer coating which results in the black stains you see. Prevent shingle damage from wind uplift. To hand seal lift each tab of a 3 tab shingle and apply two spots of the cement under each tab. The algae feed on the limestone in shingles.