When it comes to the integrity of your roof, every shingle counts. However, shingles can sometimes go missing, such as during heavy rain, wind, or hail storms or as the result of falling trees or blowing debris. Shingles can also be prone to dislodging if you didn’t start with a professional roof installation. But while a few missing shingles looks bad aesthetically, the more pressing question is whether they will cause roof leaks?

If you have missing shingles, it’s important to know if it is causing water damage. 

 When your roof sustains damage, it doesn’t really matter if it affects whole shingles or just parts of them. Some asphalt shingles come in 3 tabs, and one tab gets ripped off by intense weather. But it’s usually not possible to repair an individual shingle, so either way, that shingles need to be replaced.

 Losing part of a shingle vs. all of a shingle doesn’t make it more or less likely that your roof will leak. It all comes down to that shingle’s location.

When a shingle goes missing, the leak depends on whether the lost shingle or tab was covering a seam between two others, sometimes if there is felt on it, that could keep the water out sometimes. Shingles are layered in a staggered position so that the ones above cover the seams between the ones below. If your roof ends up with one or more seams exposed to the elements, they may let in water.

Other parts of the roof are the valleys, points where two low parts of the structure meet. Losing a shingle at a low point can cause water and elements to collect on the roof and increasing the chances for a leak.

Will your roof leak with just one missing shingle? Maybe. Just because you lose a shingle or two doesn’t mean water will immediately drip from your ceiling. However, such a missing shingle could cause issues over time if the surrounding shingles deteriorate from exposure to water, wind, and sunlight. And the older your roof is, the greater the chances are for progressive leak damage.

The reason it’s important to fix a roofing leak right away is because it can lead to damage inside your home, such attic, insulation, drywall paint electrical Worse still, you may not find this interior water damage until it progresses and requires extensive repairs. To avoid water damage in your home, replace missing shingles as soon as you are aware of them.

Specialty Roofers do any job they are paid to do. They do big and small repairs, such as replacing missing shingles. One benefit of hiring a great roofer is they can find replacement shingles that can almost match the color and texture of the originals. They can also install new shingles without disturbing the surrounding area of the roof. If your roof has other leaks or issues, these will be found during the inspection and can be fixed to avoid future damage.