When you think of your home’s roof being affected by the elements, you likely think of rain, wind or snow. You probably don’t consider the sun and how it can affect your roof. But if you live in the hot climate of southern California, you should be thinking about and accounting for how the sun’s rays impact your home’s roof.
Before you think about calling a roofing contractor, you should know these three major effects summer can have on your roof.
The sun’s ultraviolet rays
The light and heat given off by the sun is actually energy (hence why solar power works). And when it’s summertime and you live in Glendora, CA, with its average high temperatures of 92℉ each August, the amount of ultraviolet light and heat beating down on your roof is immense.
The sun’s rays can cause damage to anything they continuously hit, including and especially your roof. Constant sun can cause damage to your roof’s shingles, specifically bleaching, splitting, cracking, buckling, peeling and drying out. This type of damage can make your shingles more brittle, compromising their water-sealing properties and making them more likely to be blown off your roof in high winds.
Thermal shock
We’ve covered how light and heat can affect your home’s roof, but if you live in an arid desert climate, your roof will be especially susceptible to thermal shock. This is the process in which your roof becomes very hot during the day when the sun is out, and then gets very cold once the sun goes down.
The daily hot-and-cold cycle your roof is put through causes its materials to repeatedly expand and contract. The more extreme the temperature changes, the more extreme the thermal shock. As you can imagine, this is not good for the structural integrity of your roof and its shingles.
Summer storms
In most places, with summer comes thunderstorms. While the rain might be welcome in some places, the harsh winds and possibility of lightning strikes are not. The problem isn’t just with the rain itself, which can wear on your roof—the humidity in the air that precedes and follows the storm can affect your roof negatively as well.
And that’s without getting into the potential damage that winds can cause. Severe thunderstorms have winds that are 58 mph or more, and there are 10,000 of them in the United States each year. Shingles can be torn from your roof, and branches from trees can break off, which can be troublesome if they’re planted close to your home. As rare as lightning strikes are, they can still present a problem if you live in a drier climate and your house is on a hill.
Call for roofing service today
Now that you know these three major effects summer can have on your roof, give us a call at Dowd Roofing Co. We’re roofing contractors who perform our work with excellence and integrity, and we have over 40 years of industry experience to back that up. Reach out today to schedule an inspection!