Is There Limestone Filler In Roof Shingles

If you live in a humid area of the country you ve probably seen unsightly dark streaks on asphalt shingle roofs.

Is there limestone filler in roof shingles.

Its used as a filler in order to keep the shingle flexible and also to help the fiberglass matting absorb the asphalt. The sun and the humidity on your roof give it the first two. Roof algae is a living thing and it s feeding off of your shingles actually it s feeding off of a limestone filler commonly used in shingle production. Though often attributed to an accumulation of dirt defective shingles mold or mildew the most common culprit is actually a blue green algae known as gloeocapsa magma that is spread by airborne spores.

The inorganic materials found in your roof will allow the algae to survive spread and darken. Over time as the filler is eaten away the granules protecting the surface of the shingle lose their hold and begin to wash off. Algae feed on limestone filler contained in asphalt roof shingles. Most cases of roof algae or fungus start with a single spore finding its way to your home.

The third ingredient nutrients is gained when the spores begin to eat the limestone filler in your roof s shingles. There s more algae on roofs today because manufacturers use crushed limestone within the shingle as a filler so they don t have to use as much asphalt. Unfortunately the limestone filler in most roofing shingles provides nutrients to the algae spores. If it s not taken care of it will take years off of the life of your roofing.

Feeding on the inorganic materials of your roof s materials they ll continue to spread and darken until you get rid of them. This then creates another issue. As a result of this loss of shingle mass the roof loses the ability to reflect heat rays. All companies use limestone they have too.

The good news is that algae likely won t cause much damage to your shingles and there are solutions to both treat and prevent the problem. Since asphalt is an expensive petroleum based product they try to minimize it by using more crushed limestone. Unless they are not using fiberglass matting. As a filler limestone is very cheap plentiful and works rather well.