Phoenix Climate is Hard on Roofing Materials

Roofing materials are designed to hold up under many environmental pressures, but Arizona is all about extremes ... extreme heat, extreme dryness, extreme winds during monsoon season, and extreme deluges accompanied by hail. These extremes can cause many kinds of damage to your roof, so it pays to know what to look for to help you maintain and prolong the life of your roof.

Your first, best line of defense is to have a certified roofing contractor check to be sure that your roofing material is rated to stand up to extremes in climate — some roofing materials are better than others in extreme heat. 

Here are some things to think about (and to ask your roofing expert during an inspection). These questions can help prolong the life of your roof by catching unfinished or incorrect installations and prevent some of the top 10 most common types of damage before it causes major problems.

1. Does your roof have an effective drainage system?
2. Have you had a yearly inspection of your roof? Extreme temperatures cause roof materials to warp and crack. If you catch the damage early, you can prevent major expenses later on.
3. Did you check your roof after the last storm? You should survey your roof after every wind and hail storm to look for missing roof materials (shingles, shakes or tiles or roof flashing).
4. Do you have unwanted growth? Survey your roof yearly for signs of unwanted growth like algae, moss, lichen or fungus.
5. Is debris building up on your roof? Debris traps moistures and begins the process of decay.
6. Does your roof have proper ventilation? Adequate ventilation regulates temperature and moisture levels in the attic. Left unchecked, heat and moisture can build up causing damage to rafters, sheathing, shingles, insulation, raising energy costs, any may also lead to some ugly mold and mildew problems.  

Unfortunately, in the harsh Arizona climate, you should be prepared to replace your roofing materials every 10 to 20 years (the standard life span for a asphalt shingle roof), although some materials have even longer life spans. 

Roofing Southwest has 40 years of experience with Arizona extremes in climate and roofing materials. If you spot potential problems or have questions about your roof, please call us! We are licensed, bonded and insured and have locations in Arizona, Nevada, California, New Mexico and Texas, and are available for both residential and commercial projects. Our highly trained professional can assist you with all types of maintenance issues ... everything from roof inspections and emergency roof repairs (including tile, foam, shingle, shake), to complete roof replacements and new construction.

Service Areas

Residential

Commercial, Industrial, Multi-Housing, and Retail

Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Utah

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