Great Roof Weatherproofing Tips

September 20, 2019

Keep the Rain at Bay

Rain is something that a roof will have to endure constantly. Rain brings water and strong winds that can easily turn your roof inside out if you aren’t prepared. This means that you have to be ready to do a few tune ups to your roof to help it withstand the strongest rain showers.

Protect Your Gutters

A great way to do this is to put gutter guards on your gutters. Think of gutter guards as a fence that keeps debris out of your gutters. During bad weather, you can expect that more than a few leaves from nearby trees will end up flying into an unprotected gutter. This will clog gutters and downspouts, preventing water from properly travelling to the right place. Instead the water will end up pooling in your gutters. This makes it a breeding ground for insects that can cause diseases. Water that does end up leaving your roof through alternative means can also affect the foundation of your home. You could even end up with a flooded basement if you have one.

Beat The Heat

The rain isn’t the only threat to your roof. The sun can be just as dangerous to your roof as a strong rain storm. With temperatures that have recently soared to 115 degrees in Arizona in July and August, it is important to not only safeguard yourself but also your roof from the intense heat the sun can dish out.

Inspect and Improve Your Insulation

Your insulation is what keeps your home cool during extreme heat and it also helps your roof absorb some of that intense heat. Not only does it help regulate the heat in your roof, it also helps regulate moisture. Moisture is needed by algae and other roof weeds to grow in your attic. Good insulation keeps them from properly taking root and corroding your roof from the inside out.

As a homeowner, you’ve got the choice of either using warm or cold insulation. Warm insulation is placed directly under your roof and directly helps regulate your roof’s temperature. It is somewhat more expensive however. The cheaper option is cold insulation where it’s placed on the floor of your attic. Regardless of what you choose, these two forms of insulation can help your roof withstand the summer heat.

Pick a Lighter Color

In record high temperatures, what follows is a record low during the night. This rapid heating and cooling will make your roof go through what’s called thermal shock. This causes the rapid expansion of materials during hot weather, and rapid contraction as it gets colder. This makes metal and wood become more brittle as they repeat this process repeatedly. This is worsened by picking a dark roof color.

You might think that having a black or dark roof color might be great street cred, but in Arizona or Texas weather that can mean your roof could end up with a shorter lifespan. Dark colors absorb heat and have a hard time dissipating it. Pick a lighter color however, and you could expect to add a few years or even a decade to your roof because it reflects most of the heat.