Is It Okay To Walk On Asphalt Roofs

Even asphalt gets damaged from repeated traffic something that isn t necessarily true of metal.

Is it okay to walk on asphalt roofs.

Beyond asphalt shingles even wood shingles can become cracked or dislodged. Don t use a pressure washer. Generally speaking it is as safe to walk on a metal roof 30 or 50 years after installation as the day it was installed. These roofs are not safe to walk upon unless you know exactly where to step.

Then we manipulated each of them to check out two things. Locating these damaged shingles is paramount because stepping on them will cause them to break out from underneath you. Roof is uncomfortable or feels unsafe or too fragile for any reason in the opinion of the inspector. Walking on a roof when the shingles are brittle in cold weather or soft in hot weather can damage the shingles.

If you have to walk on the roof to take care of a problem try to do it at the most mild time of day in the morning in the summer and the afternoon in the winter. Don t walk on your roof if it is wet or icy. We do not walk directly on any asphalt shingle roof that has one or more of these hazards. There are a few devices and strategies you can use if you choose to walk on your roof.

It is not a good idea to walk upon a roof for any other reason. There is no need to walk on the roof unless it is for the rare and occasional repair. What happens if you bend the shingle and how easy is it to scrape the protective grains off the surface. Steep pitch roofs judgment of the inspector.

If the slope is too steep to easily traverse or if your house is more than one story you should hire a pro. If you see any splits or areas that appear to be damaged avoid walking on them. Video of the day. High roofs judgment of the inspector.

Advice about walking on inspecting asphalt shingle roofs. To illustrate the problem we took three pieces of asphalt shingle and plunged one into a cooler full of ice left one at roof temperature and put the third under a heat lamp. Aside from slipping on ice winter is not a bad time to walk on that roof but not the best time. In fact metal roofs can stand up to you walking on them better than ceramic tiles and some other roofing systems.

But before you head up inspect the roof from the ground and keep an eye out for any badly deteriorated shingles. A pressure washer will loosen the granules embedded in the asphalt shingles and expose the asphalt to uv rays which will shorten its lifespan. Walking on asphalt shingles is not a good practice unless it is done to inspect and repair the shingles. Even when absolutely necessary it should only be done by a professional.

Inspect your roof visually before attempting to walk on it. Clean your roof only after determining that you can safely walk its surface.