It is true that winter is the hardest season on your roof, summer has its own share of threats. The most obvious of these threats is summer storms. While these storms tend to be short, they can be incredibly treacherous. If you have completed a spring checklist for your residential roof and dealt with any potential problems, then you should be in decent shape to deal with summer weather—as long as a tree doesn’t fall on your roof!
Roof Threats That Aren’t Quite So Obvious
There are some summer-related threats that aren’t quite as obvious nor as dangerous, which include the following.
UV Rays
Your home’s roof is exposed to UV rays constantly, even if it is cloudy, and this type of exposure increases drastically during the long days during the summer with the additional hours of sunlight. The ultraviolet rays dry out the oils in your roofing materials, causing the wood to weaken and crack, become bleach, and the asphalt shingles to buckle.
Heat
Your roof takes the hit from the force of the sun and is exposed to a significant amount of heat during the dog days of summer. If the roof is not shaded, it can reach temperatures as high as 160 degrees when it is 90 degrees outside. This accelerates the damaging effect of the ultraviolet rays and can result in many other issues. If the attic of your home isn’t adequately ventilated, heat will build up in this space, causing the interior temperature of your home to rise as well as condensation problems.
Thermal Shock
During the day, your roof can reach incredibly high temperatures, and then when the sun sets, it can cool off quickly. This process can result in the roofing materials to expand and contract rapidly, weakening their structural integrity over an extended period of time. This is especially true for metal materials, which are able to warp and lead to gaps between the metal components of the roof and the remainder of the structure.
The good thing is that any roof damage that is a result of heat and additional elemental factors throughout the summer is cumulative, which means that it builds over time, and your home’s roof will not crumble and turn to dust following a week or two of incredibly warm weather. In the event that your roof is less than 10 years old, you won’t need to worry as much, particularly if you maintain your roof. If your roof is older, though, you need to be familiar with what to look for so that you can keep an eye out for any potentially developing issues and make sure to deal with them promptly so that you can save money down the road.
If you have a well-ventilated attic, you won’t need to worry about the worst effects of the summer heat. Plus, it will assist in keeping your roof serviceable for years. If your attic is unventilated, also known as a Hot Roof, it will be easier for issues to occur during the summer, so it is imperative that you ensure your attic has adequate insulation.
Prevention is always better than having to deal with the cure, so inspect your roof regularly or have a professional do it at least once annually. Contact the professionals at C and K Roofing to schedule an inspection to determine if your roof has any potential weak spots or other issues as well as for recommendations for repairs or improvements to deal with the summer weather.