Funny timing—I just had a similar issue after putting in a solar fan last fall. I thought I was being careful with the shingles, but a couple on the north side never quite settled back, even after a few warm days. Ended up with a little flapping during a windstorm, and I swear I could hear it from inside the attic, which set off my paranoia about leaks immediately.
I tried the roofing cement trick, too, but I used a brick wrapped in a towel to weigh things down overnight. It helped, but like you said, those older shingles just don’t seem to want to flatten out again, no matter what you do. In my case, the windward side is always the trouble spot—if there’s going to be a problem, that’s where it’ll show up first.
If it gets worse, I might just bite the bullet and swap out a few shingles around the fan. Not ideal, but I’d rather do that than risk water sneaking in and ruining the decking. For now, I’m just keeping an eye out after every big storm... kind of comes with the territory, I guess.
- Had the same thing happen when I put in a turbine vent a few years back. North side shingles just never wanted to lay flat again, no matter how much sun we got.
- Tried the cement and weight trick too, but honestly, once those older shingles get disturbed, they’re never quite the same.
- If you’re seeing flapping, especially after storms, I’d lean toward swapping out the worst ones sooner rather than later. I waited too long and ended up with a small leak that warped some of the decking—cost me more in the end.
- One thing that helped me: I used a heat gun (carefully!) to soften the shingles before pressing them down. Not a cure-all, but it got a couple to settle better than just waiting for warm weather.
- If you do replace, try to match the shingle age and color as close as possible. New ones can stand out like a sore thumb, especially on older roofs.
- Keeping an eye on it after storms is smart. Sometimes you just have to accept a little extra maintenance with these upgrades... roofs never seem to forgive us for poking holes in them, even for a good cause.
Sometimes you just have to accept a little extra maintenance with these upgrades... roofs never seem to forgive us for poking holes in them, even for a good cause.
Ain’t that the truth. I swear, every time I “improve” something up there, it’s like the shingles hold a grudge. I tried the heat gun trick too, but honestly, those north-facing ones never really bounced back. Cement, weights, prayers—nothing lasts long-term if the shingles are already brittle. I get wanting to patch things up, but sometimes it’s just throwing good money after bad. If you’re seeing flapping, I’d seriously consider just swapping out those trouble spots before you end up with a bigger headache. Matching color on an old roof is a lost cause, though—mine looks like a patchwork quilt at this point.
That patchwork quilt look is way too real. I tried swapping just a few shingles last fall and now the roof’s got three shades of “grey” up there. Ever tried using salvage shingles from a neighbor’s leftover pile? I’m wondering if that’s worth the hassle or if it just ends up looking even weirder.
I hear you on the patchwork effect—my roof ended up looking like a checkerboard after a few DIY fixes. Salvage shingles can work if the color’s close, but honestly, it’s hit or miss. Sometimes the mismatch stands out more than you’d think, especially after a few months of sun and rain. Still, if you’re not too worried about curb appeal, it’s a decent way to save some cash.
