Nailing This Down

Posted on: 28 June 2023

Each season brings different threats to your roof. Understanding the seasonal threats will help you prepare for and deal with them. For example, the summer weather affects your roof in specific ways. The extent of the effects depends on the summer weather intensity. Below are summer-related issues that deteriorate the roof.

Sunlight

Many places experience intensive sunshine for extended hours every day during the summer. Such a level of sunlight affects your roof in several ways. For example, the sunlight:

• Affects the roof's color and leaves it faded
• Dries asphalt shingles and increases their risk of cracking
• Expands roofing materials during the day and causes thermal shock since the materials have to contract at night when temperatures fall

The more direct sunlight falls on the roof, the more significant the sunlight damage is.

Humidity

Humidity increases during the summer, and with it, the effect of moisture on the roofs. For example, moisture that gets under the shingles affects how they lie on the roof. The moisture can affect shingle adhesion and increase the risk of leaks.

In addition, high humidity during the summer encourages mold and algae growth on the roof. The growths encourage material degradation by keeping the roof moist. Mold and algae also stain the roof and affect its curb appeal.

Rainfall

If your area receives a lot of rainfall during the summer, expect similar effects as humidity. However, rainfall has other effects. For example, intensive rainfall can get under the shingles and damage the internal roof structure. Intensive rainfall also increases leakage risk, damaging your house's contents.

Windstorms

Summer windstorms have direct and indirect effects on the roof. For example, strong winds can damage, displace, or even crack individual roof shingles. A windstorm can even lift the whole roof or a sizable chunk. Aging or weak roofs tend to suffer more storm damage than others.

Indirect windstorm damage occurs when the wind hurls something on the roof. For example, strong storms can break tree branches or uproot whole trees. Trees near the house might end up on the roof, breaking the roof's structure, cracking shingles, and tearing through the sheathing.

Weather will always be a roofing issue, and you cannot escape it. However, you can minimize the effect of weather on the roof if you design and maintain the roof with such effects in mind. For example, white or light-colored roofs fare better than other roofs in areas with particularly high temperatures. Contact a roofing company to learn more.