Drip-Edge Metal Vs No Drip-Edge
Drip-Edge Metal Vs No Drip-Edge
I run into this question way too often, many homeowners are concern about the use of Drip-Edge on their home vs not using it. Well, I'd like to share my humble opinion but first let's define whats metal drip-edge.
WhaDrip Edge is a metal flashing that is installed at the edges of the roof to help control the flow of water away from the fascia and to protect the underlying roofing components. Drip Edge overhangs the sides of the roof and has a small metal flange that is bent away from the fascia board.
Some of it's benefits :
Reasons to Use Drip Edge:
Direct water away from the fascia and prevent water from rotting the fascia over time.
Protects the edge of the decking due to water penetration during driving rains.
Seal any gaps at the bottom of the roof – where there is often a gap between the decking and the fascia – which allows small animals to enter the attic.
Help protect the bottom of the roofline during ice dams that can occur during the winter months.
Other Roofers Say Drip Edge Isn’t Needed:
Many Homes have been built in the Hampton Roads area from for decades and a large majority of those homes don’t have any Drip-Edge. However, if you have rotting fascia or decking at the eaves and rakes, then your Roofing System is probably not working properly and dripedge might be a solution that can solve your problems. Other times the problem might be something else and even having drip-edge won't change a thing. One problem that we see often is that the shingles might not have enough overhang over the fascia boards, the house might have a HUGE builders gap (between the roof deck and the fascia) or the installation was wrong in the first place.
Drip Edge can be installed at both the rake and the eaves of the house. While Drip Edge is a common component in some areas of the country, most Roofing Companies in our area don’t offer it, because it’s not part of most municipalities building code. In comparison with Starter Shingles that are required with all Roofing Systems.
Drip edge is often offered by some roofing contractors in Hampton Roads when installed when Systems that required it. It is definitely an option for your roof replacement but not the only one since it is not required and since most fascia and rake boards on houses are now wrapped with Aluminum PVC coil with and extra 1" bend on the top to help support the shingles. At that point Dripedge will be a waste.
When homes have the Fascia and Rake Boards wrapped with Aluminum PVC Coil metal, the metal drip-edge becomes a second layer over the metal and a waste. The Starter Shingle that we use on all roofs is part of a System that all manufacturers require now. The Starter Shingle id the first row of shingles that is installed on the eaves and rakes, one of the reasons why the manufacturers increased their wind rated shingles to 130 miles per hour was because the Starter Shingle. What this shingle does is thermal seal the edges to help improve any shingles lifting up by the wind, or damaging when people put their ladders against the edge of the roof. The Starter Shingles is a thicker type of Asphalt Shingles with a thicker tar line strip on the edge that helps the shingle seal all the perimeters. This is what we use on all of our Systems, and we strongly recommended it.
For additional information on Drip Edge Vs Starter Shingles and your different options, please call us.