Is It Okay To Walk On Asphalt Roofs

Don t walk on your roof if it is wet or icy.

Is it okay to walk on asphalt roofs. Roof is uncomfortable or feels unsafe or too fragile for any reason in the opinion of the inspector. If you see any splits or areas that appear to be damaged avoid walking on them. High 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.

Walking on a roof when the shingles are brittle in cold weather or soft in hot weather can damage the shingles. 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. Locating these damaged shingles is paramount because stepping on them will cause them to break out from underneath you. Even asphalt gets damaged from repeated traffic something that isn t necessarily true of metal.

A pressure washer will loosen the granules embedded in the asphalt shingles and expose the asphalt to uv rays which will shorten its lifespan. What happens if you bend the shingle and how easy is it to scrape the protective grains off the surface. There are a few devices and strategies you can use if you choose to walk on your roof. There is no need to walk on the roof unless it is for the rare and occasional repair.

Don t use a pressure washer. These roofs are not safe to walk upon unless you know exactly where to step. Generally speaking it is as safe to walk on a metal roof 30 or 50 years after installation as the day it was installed. Clean your roof only after determining that you can safely walk its surface.

Some materials like asphalt shingles are flexible and don t necessarily crack under stress. Inspect your roof visually before attempting to walk on it. Then we manipulated each of them to check out two things. Generally these types of materials are far safer to walk on since you won t be risking damaging your roof in order to do so.

We do not walk directly on any asphalt shingle roof that has one or more of these hazards. Walking on asphalt shingles is not a good practice unless it is done to inspect and repair the shingles. But before you head up inspect the roof from the ground and keep an eye out for any badly deteriorated shingles. Beyond asphalt shingles even wood shingles can become cracked or dislodged.

In fact metal roofs can stand up to you walking on them better than ceramic tiles and some other roofing systems. Aside from slipping on ice winter is not a bad time to walk on that roof but not the best time. Advice about walking on inspecting asphalt shingle roofs. 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. Even when absolutely necessary it should only be done by a professional.