When it comes to investing in your home, your number one priority should always be safety. Because of this, you should consider what kind of safety and protection your new roof is going to provide. For example, are those asphalt shingles that you’re thinking about installing fireproof? Installing fireproof shingles versus shingles that are not fireproof can make the difference between life and death in severe cases, after all. Fortunately, you can identify if a type of asphalt shingle is fireproof by its fire rating.
Roof Fire Protection Ratings
There are three different classes of fire ratings given to asphalt shingles – A, B and C. In order to be given one of these fire ratings, the shingles must have certain fire rating properties. First of all, their fire rating is in regards to fires originating from outside of the building. Secondly, when exposed to fire the shingles must not blow or fall off the deck, they must not slide off, they must not crack or break, they must help prevent the roof deck from falling away and they must help prevent flaming on the roof deck’s underside.
If the shingles do not meet these properties, then they will not obtain a fire rating. Installing shingles without a fire rating is typically not a good idea since it will leave your roof vulnerable to fire – thereby leaving your home vulnerable as well. Once they meet all of these properties, they will be classified as one of the following classes:
- Class A Fire Rating – Shingles with the highest fire resistance are classified as Class A. These shingles will be effective against moderate fire exposures, are not readily flammable and will not cause fires to spread.
- Class B Fire Rating – Shingles that offer moderate fire resistance are classified as Class B. These shingles are also not readily flammable, will not readily contribute to the spread of fire and are relatively effective against moderate fire exposure. The main difference is that the testing process is conducted on a smaller configuration.
- Class C Fire Rating – Shingles that offer light fire resistance are classified as Class C. These shingles aren’t readily flammable, won’t readily spread fire and are effective against lighter fire exposures.
Obviously Class A shingles are your best bet as they provide the strongest protection against fire. Just keep in mind that if the fire starts within the home, then the fire resistance of your shingles won’t really matter. However, when it comes to protecting your home against fires that have started outside of your house, you’ll definitely want to make sure you choose shingles with some kind of fire rating.
If you have more questions about your roofing options or the fire safety of the various materials available, be sure to contact us at Park Heights Roofing today. Not only do we use the highest quality roofing materials available in Baltimore, but our contractors are trained to install them properly so that your roof will be as safe as possible.