Summer Heat and How It Affects Your Roof

Clay colored roof tiles are arranged on a roof, ready to be installed

 Summer Heat and How It Affects Your Roof 

Everyone loves saying that everything is bigger here in the state of Texas. That makes life great in many ways, but sometimes it backfires.

The Texas sun is undoubtedly bigger and brighter here than in most places. Also, depending on the size of your home, your roof might be more extensive than homes in other states. The two add up to a powerful combination.

Easy to Overlook

Overlooking your roof is ironically easy to do, given how it’s over your head. When winter is over, and summer is approaching, or even here, the last thing on your mind is what the weather is doing to your home’s roof. You’d much rather be out in the sun soaking up the rays and enjoying the longer days. Still, knowing how to protect your roof from the heat helps save you time and money.

How Summer Heat Impacts Your Roofhow to cool down roof in summer

The first thing to protect the roof from heat is knowing what impacts it. This happens in many different ways:

  1. Day/Night Cycles: You might not think of the nights during the summer as particularly cold, but how much cooler are they than the peak heat of the afternoon sun? Roofing materials go through expansion and contraction cycles daily, and some of them are severe enough to start breaking materials down over time. This is known as thermal shock, and it impacts metal even worse since it can warp out of shape and leave gaps in the coverage.
  2. Heat: Knowing how to protect the roof from heat is essential for dark-colored materials that directly absorb heat. If the temperature is 90F one afternoon, your roof might hit 160F. That’s almost enough to cook a meal on. Whether frying eggs up there or not, such high temperatures will speed up chemical processes, expediting the weathering and deterioration of your roofing materials covering your home. 
  3. Summer Storm Activity: Wind and hail aren’t good for the integrity of your home’s roof. They can result in structural damage, loose shingles, weakened flashing, damp spots, and gutter blockage.
  4. U.V. Exposure: The sun’s ultraviolet rays bombard your roof without relent or mercy. This makes your roof decay and age. It even happens on cloudy days, as U.V. rays still penetrate the cloud cover overhead. Still, long and sunny days are the worst. Your naked human eye can’t see these rays, but they bleach, crack, and weaken wood while dissipating oils in your home’s materials, leaving asphalt singles buckling and splitting.
  5. Winter Damage: Winter damage to your home’s roof usually isn’t as bad as what the summer will do, but there’s also a risk in neglecting what ice and snow may have done. Even just some cold weather can make roof materials contract enough to lose some strength, so your roof might not be as ready as you think to deal with what summer blows may come.

On the Plus Side

Summertime damage is a cumulative process, meaning damage takes some time before it messes things up. The good news is:

  • A heatwave lasting a week probably won’t result in sudden roof failure.
  • A roof less than ten years old with good maintenance is probably going to be issue-free.
  • You have time to learn how to cool down the roof in summer.

Cooling Down Your Roof in the Summerprotect roof from heat

Knowing how to cool down the roof in summer weather brings about several advantages:

  • Your roof lasts longer
  • The roof won’t need as much maintenance
  • You save money on repairs and possibly even your air conditioning bill

There are three ways you can make sure your roof can stay cool during the summer:

  1. Regular Inspections and Maintenance: In most cases, a home’s roof needs to be looked at twice a year, usually in the spring and fall. Having maintenance and inspections down between the extreme seasons helps your roof recover from each and be ready for what’s coming. If you’re behind on this, don’t wait for spring or fall, get someone out as soon as you can.
  2. Attic Ventilation: When your attic is properly ventilated, it prevents heat from building up inside your home. That can result in condensation, and it can also bake a roof from both inside and out.
  3. Shade: This is typically accomplished by tree growth. Any canopy coverage that can block some or all of the sun’s rays from hitting your roof will lower its total temperature considerably. Just be mindful of potential damage from downed limbs or animals that might make the crossing from branches to your tiles and shingles.

Need Help?

Visit SWAT Roofing & Contracting for your roof maintenance and repair needs to enjoy any or all of the following:

SWAT Roofing & Contracting is a licensed and certified roofing company in Fort Worth, Texas, providing complete roof repairs, hail damage repair, new roof installation, free inspections, and more in DFW. Our team of expert roofing contractors has decades of combined experience, working on all types of roofs.Upon request, we will come to your property and perform a free inspection – no strings attached! Whether you need a roof repair for simple wear and tear, or are dealing with major damage from a windstorm, or hailstorm, we have you covered. Protect your investment. Contact the best roofing company in Fort Worth, Texas.