Replies

1. 
   IMERC | Dec 08, 2003 06:32pm | #1

   The shingles are bit more fragile and the roof won't lay down or seal very well. Goes on a lot slower. A little bit of wind will hamper you alot.

   Can you hold off till it gets to about 50 or so.

    

   Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....

2. 
   PenobscotMan | Dec 08, 2003 06:46pm | #2

   A crew across the street is roofing a big house. Temperatures have been hovering around 20-25 F. The shingles seem to be laying down OK.

3. 
   marv | Dec 08, 2003 06:55pm | #3

   The house I bought 10 years ago was built in the winter.  The shingles didn't seal very well.  Shingles were blowing off for the first couple of years.  I think I've got them all glued down now (by hand).

   You get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.

   Marv

1. 
   numbfinger | Dec 09, 2003 01:18am | #4

   How about if we keep the shingles warm until me are ready to lay them?

   I was also considering one of those propane torches to try and warm them up. Yep, I know - crazy.

   IMERC- we won't see50 degree weather here tillspring probably :)

1. 
   IMERC | Dec 09, 2003 02:16am | #6

   Put 'em down cold. You'll find that the torch will generate more problens than solve. Heat gun is the way to go.

   Keep in mind that they won't seal till you have warm weather.

   Won't hurt to use roof cement when ever in doupt or you have to have a seal, Valleys and such.... 

   Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....

1. 
   xMikeSmith | Dec 09, 2003 02:26am | #7

   here's barry.... it's about 30 deg.

   these are Hatteras.. which have a very aggressive glueMike Smith   Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore

4. 
   Schelling | Dec 09, 2003 01:49am | #5

   You should have no problem at 30 degrees. The shingles won't seal until spring but they don't seal too well on the north side in our climate anyway. If you have an exceptionally windy site you may have to use bear s**t to aid in the sealing. We have never had a problem with shingles blowing off.

   You can have trouble bending the shingles in a closed valley and a steep pitched roof. We have had to resort to using a heat gun to soften the shingles in this situation. We are starting to roof this week and do not expect to see 32 degrees either.

5. 
   Piffin | Dec 09, 2003 02:48am | #8

   First suggestion has to do with how you stack and store the shingles when they are delivered until you lay them. You mentiuoned keeping them in a heated location, That would be great if you did it. Dry is good too. A froizen bundle is a waste of time.

   But even more important is the stacking pattern. For shipping, most companies cross stack in the pallet. The shingles take on a corrugated shape sometimes that way and need more like 60° temps to lay flat again, or two men, a boy, and a dozen nails, all of which is a royal pain. So stack the bundles flat on the roof or parrallel to each other.

   Most manufacturers recommend between 45 and 55 degrees as the minimum instalation temp. Probably a third of the shingles I've laid were at less than that.

   Keep in mind that even tho air temps may be cold, a dark shingle on the sunny side of the roof may be twenty degrees warmmer than that, if you are spilling them out of the bundle to see the sun ahead of your laying them.

   Most of them will eventually seal down, unless they see a wind and dust combination before they see warm temps. This can be from a texas dust storm, or in a new development where the earth moving machinery is pounding dirt into the air. That dust blows under the tab to coat the sealdown strip before it can stick.

   Finally, be carefull about the nailing. If hand nailing, use a broad headed shingle hatchet to spread the force of the blow over enough surface when the nail is seated that you are not puncturing a brittle shingle. Swing the hatchet so the face lands parallel to the surface and not cornering down at an angle. Breaking ther surface of the shingle voids the warrantee and invites either leaks or the weak spot invites wind damage.

   If using a pneumatic, watch the adjustment so you aren't punching through.

   cutting - There are a hundred ways to cut a shingle. I use a utility knife. There are a hundred different techniques that change with the temperature. Normally I prefer a hook blade, but in the cold, it is easier to flip the shinglke over and score it lightly with a straight blade and snap it like cutting glass.

   You will probably waste a couple more shingles in the cold than in warm weather and could end up with an extra wrinkle or two. Don't butt ends too tight in the cold because they will grow in the heat.

   .

   Excellence is its own reward!