# Owens-corning duration 30 yr



## johnk (May 1, 2007)

I've never used OC so I can't comment on them.Are you doing your the job yourself?Who says Gaf/elks the best?Its a matter of opinion.I like Certainteed,that's my opinion.Go with what works for you.-John


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## DaveS (Apr 25, 2008)

I have some family connections to roofers and one of them absolutely refuses to use anything but Elk--so much that I thought maybe he had some kind of loyalty contract with the supplier. A few others have expressed definite preference for Elk. We've pretty much decided to just hire out the roof since I don't have the time, experience, or patience for the roof. My brother and I have enough on our plate with the windows and siding and our actual jobs.


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

Elk was recently merged/bought out by GAF. Most roofers do not like shingles from a manufacturer who continually flooded the market with cheap low quality shingles, whch OC did with their thin 20 year 3-tabs for many years a while ago, plus that they are available at Big Box stores.

The better shingles from most roofers opinions are Certainteed, Tamko and GAF/Elk shingles with some disstatisfaction with the new Timberlines by GAF/Elk, but they are newly released.

My folks live on Green Lake and if they had to worry about the difference from an 80 mph wind to a 110 mph wind, they should move. Those are tornado category winds, which would be covered by your home owners insurance if your home blows away to Oz.

Ed


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## DaveS (Apr 25, 2008)

Thanks Ed. I wasn't aware of OC's past sins, but that sheds a lot of light on things.

Today I was told that the amount of fiberglass vs. asphalt in a shingle makes a difference in their quality. I noticed the OC literature says they have a fiberglass core. good? bad? Has anyone seen any third-party comparisons of shingles. Consumer reports doesn't seem to report on building materials.


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

DaveS said:


> Thanks Ed. I wasn't aware of OC's past sins, but that sheds a lot of light on things.
> 
> Today I was told that the amount of fiberglass vs. asphalt in a shingle makes a difference in their quality. I noticed the OC literature says they have a fiberglass core. good? bad? Has anyone seen any third-party comparisons of shingles. Consumer reports doesn't seem to report on building materials.


Almost ALL of the shingles produced now a days have a FiberGlass reinforcement core. The organic ones, also improperly called, Asphalt Shingles, used to have a much more resilient core, but they degraded that so much, those shingles pretty much all curl prematurely.

I do recall seeing a Consumer Report article about shingle comparisons, but the results did not juve with the most common thoughts put forth by contractors on discussion forums, but I forget which they had listed a s a preference.

Same negative impressions by most contractors regarding IKO brand shingles too, as far as not being worthy. Menards sells something called CRC brand, which I know absolutely nothing about, but is probably a Private Labeled IKO.

Stick with one of the top 3, Certainteed, Tamko or GAF/Elk as the final choice.

Ed


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## johnk (May 1, 2007)

Ed,you said the swear word,IKO.IMO BP is just as bad.


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

We don't get BP around here, but I have heard what you mean from others consistently.

Ed


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## Handyman50 (Sep 28, 2007)

I have lived in Minnesota, Nebraska and Texas. I now live in the God's country, the Pacific Northwest. The weather in the MN & Neb, don't begin to compare with Texas. It is hotter and in the heart of "Tornado Alley". Roofers in Texas use allot of Oakridge Pro 30/50 shingles. I have seen what 1"+ hail does to them and all other brands. For that reason, I just recently had Oakridge Pro 30 installed on my house. I honestly don't understand why anyone would shy away from them.


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

It is only the Owens Corning WeatherGuard HP Shingles which are rated Class 4 Hail Resistant, not the Oak Ridge Line.

Ed


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## Handyman50 (Sep 28, 2007)

Ed the Roofer said:


> It is only the Owens Corning WeatherGuard HP Shingles which are rated Class 4 Hail Resistant, not the Oak Ridge Line.
> 
> Ed


You are absolutely correct, Ed. This is exactly my point. I said I saw first hand what 1"+ hail did to Oakridge Pro 30 shingles. The damage was far less than I would have expected, since there is no hail resistance specified. Many other brands faired far worse in the same area.


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

Okay, thanks for the clarification.

Hail damage does not appear as readily on a newly installed roof installed over solid deck sheathing such as Plywood or OSB board.

The angle of impact also is very critical to determine the amount of potential damage.

Also, whether or not it is a layover reroof or an original layer detemines the amount of damage, due to slight air pockets in between the two layers.

The existing fragility and aged degradation has a lot to do with how much the shingles get affected and reveal the hail bruising also.

I read that State Farm and Nationwide offer a 35% discount in various hail area affected states if the roof covering is done with a Class 4 impact resistant product. 

Ed


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## Handyman50 (Sep 28, 2007)

I had State Farm insurance. This was in 1991. There was nothing mentioned about any discount at that time. FEMA did pickup a lion's share of the cost, since it was deemed a catastrophe. The damage was from Ft.Worth to Arlington, TX and everything in between. My roof was 2 years old.


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

Here is something I read last night and saved.

http://www.statefarm.com/about/media/backgrounder/roof.asp

The important aspects of the article are bolded and underlined.

Ed

*The Texas experiment*
State insurance authorities in Texas are attacking the issue of hail damage by requiring premium discounts for consumers who install impact-resistant roofs. 

*In January 1998, Insurance Commissioner Elton Bomer ordered homeowners insurance companies in the state to discount premiums up to 46 percent in some areas for policyholders who replace old roofs with certified impact-resistant roofs. All insurers subject to Texas rate regulations (such as State Farm Fire and Casualty Company) must offer the discounts.*

" This is a revolutionary step for consumers, insurers and roofing manufacturers," Bomer said in his announcement. "Homeowners who install hail-resistant roofs will save money on their insurance and avoid the headache of replacing roofs after hailstorms."

The Texas regulator also said his program could "prevent hundreds of millions of dollars in hail damage and help lower insurance rates by giving property owners a financial incentive to buy roof coverings certified to be impact-resistant and hopefully to withstand the impact of hail stones."

Under Texas regulations, each area of the state is assigned a homeowners insurance discount for each of the four UL levels of impact resistance. Discounts apply to standard homeowners insurance policies and to those covering structures only.

*For a homeowner in the highest-rated hail zone replacing a roof with a Level 4 (highest resistance) material, the discount would be 35 percent. (Discounts may vary among companies which operate in Texas without rate regulation, such as State Farm Lloyds.)*

A Texas homeowner in the lowest-rated hail zone using a Level 1 roof would receive a 1 percent discount on a homeowners policy or 3 percent on structure-only policies.

*(State Farm Fire and Casualty Company voluntarily provides discounts in Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois and Alberta, Canada.)*


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## Handyman50 (Sep 28, 2007)

Thanks, Ed, that is an interesting article. At least, for those of us who do or have lived in Texas. I can tell ya, I have never been in a hotter state. I have lived in or visited nearly every state in America and China. There are hot states and then there are hotter states. Last of all, there is Texas. I swear that there is a different sun in Texas. I guess that is why it is the heart of "Tornado Alley".

When I had the damage to my house, my insurance agent lived in Arlington, TX. The home of the Texas Rangers baseball team. His daughter's brand new car was in his garage; specifically parked there because of the pending storm. A hail stone the size of a grapefruit went through the roof of his garage and through the roof of his daughters new car. I didn't have to argue my case very hard about hail damage.

Anything that insurance companies can do to cut costs is what they need to do. Level 4 shingles is a great start.


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## Dagny (Apr 28, 2008)

*Maybe contractors get better discount of GAF/ELK?*

Dave, six months ago I found a ratings table in Consumer Reports comparing different brands, and Owens Corning was their choice, the comparable GAF/ELK Timberline product showed just "average" & poor against wind (w/same wind rating). I wonder if contractors get a better discount of the GAF/ELK products at Home Depot than the Owens Corning at Lowes (which is $1 more expensive then the comparable Timberline).
The 2005 CR table is no longer posted at their Web site.


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## maxluis (Dec 16, 2010)

Very Helpful Forum and quite an interesting topic as well !!!
Keep It Up !!


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## housegsx (Oct 21, 2010)

I just put down OC Duration so I'm interested to hear these thoughts as well. It's what our local and reputable builder supply shop carries and had many more color options than the big box stores.


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