One of the many challenges that roofs face is heat. Heat can affect a roof in many ways. This is why homeowners need to be aware of how heat affects their roofs when summer arrives. If you know what to look out for, you can act quickly before heat damages your roof.

During a hot summer, heat can affect a roof in various ways.

UV Rays Weaken Roofing Materials

The sun beams down on your roof day after day during the summer. And this is bad news for your roofing materials, especially for asphalt shingles and wood shakes. Over time, UV light causes the oils that give asphalt shingles their waterproof properties to evaporate. Although the process is a slow one, once a shingle has dried out, it will become dry and brittle. Dry shingles also curl and crack.

Wood shakes or shingles also suffer from prolonged exposure to UV light. The lignin that holds the natural fibres of wood shake together evaporates over time with exposure to UV light. This leaves wood shakes looking grey and dull. Damaged wood shakes are also more prone to rot and mould, both of which will affect your roof's integrity and appearance.

Heat Speeds up Degradation

Roofs absorb a lot of heat during summer days, especially roofs with dark roofing materials. And the effect of heat on a roof is even more severe if a roof and roof space are poorly insulated. Heat can cause roofing materials to degrade faster than usual. If you live in a sunny area, make sure your attic is well ventilated and consider restoring your roof if heat has damaged it.

Thermal Shock Weakens Roofs

During hot days, roofs can reach very high temperatures. Then at night, as the temperature cools, hot roofs cool down. Unfortunately, this causes a damaging process called thermal shock. Heat causes roofing materials to expand on a hot day, but as the temperature drops, those same roofing materials then begin to contract. The effect is worse with extreme fluctuations in temperature.

When a roof expands and contracts regularly because of hot days that are followed by cool nights, affected roofing materials begin to deteriorate faster than usual. Metal roofs suffer more because they can warp over time and lose their shape due to thermal shock.

Heat may take time to damage your roof, but if you don't stay vigilant, the damage may occur without your knowledge. If you suspect that your roof has suffered damage due to heat, consider calling a roofer to inspect and restore your roof.

To learn more, reach out to a company like Horizonline Roof Restorations.