Roof problem needs attention
 

We have lived in our home in the Villages for a little over three years. New construction 2016. Tar dripped onto cement slab outside the door to our lanai from the valley of the roof above the slab the last two months of the summer. On my step ladder I can see a tarry like substance on the shingles the entire length of the valley. Has anyone else experienced this and how did you have it fixed?

There were no roof deficiencies found on the one year warranty inspection by a very reputable inspector. We suspect the issue developed over the last two years.

birdieBill,

This is rare, but we have seen this on occasion. What most likely happened is that the roofer perhaps could not get the valley to lay just right, and added some additional roofing cement.

Three years later, it melted and thinned enough to seep past the shingles and now as you say, has created a solid stream of tar which has now dripped onto the concrete pad below. It is not surprising that this could not have been noticed during the first year.

Sometimes there are roof conditions and defects that do not present themselves for awhile, like this one, or say, premature stone loss.

Getting back to YOUR issue here, it is either added tar done by the roofer during the installation, ( based on what you have said having a solid stream I am guessing this is the case), or the tar is seeping from the shingles themselves, which would be more a defective shingle issue rather than an installation issue, or a combination of both. Even if it is a installation issue, often the manufacturer will cover it, based on the volume of business that roofer does.

The GOOD news is that either way, this should still be covered. My advice would be to contact the warranty department, 352-753-6222, and ask them who the roofer was for your home. I would then contact the roofer directly and have that roofer look at this issue. OR, if you want to just stick with the warranty department they should be able to do this for you.

Your shingles are warrantied (pro rated sometimes) for many years longer than your one year warranty. The question is whether this is an installation issue or a manufacturer issue. Either way, this should still be covered.

Hope this helps!

Frank D'Angelo, ACI