Replacing A Roof In Cold Weather

The benefits of roofing in cold weather in fact the benefits can be considerable to a roofer or employer who wants to keep busy during off months.

Replacing a roof in cold weather.

Hot boxes are ideal for cold weather storage freeze protection transporting job site heating remote location use and winter roofing. Standard hot boxes hold product between 100 f and 120 f 38 c and 49 c and optional adjustable thermostatic controllers allow temperatures to be precisely controlled. For much of the work in roof replacement dexterity of hands and fingers is essential and heavy winter gloves are not an option. If the installer does not follow the cold weather instructions few can afford to because it requires you to hand seal each shingle you can have a shingle blow off.

This is because shingles come with a sealant strip that might not activate in cold weather. Finally the crew leader is responsible for deciding if the roof is tabbing or not and if cold weather precautions hand seal should be taken. The adhesive on shingles may also fail to stick in cold weather and may not become fully adhered to the roof until summer. Be very careful about walking over shingles when it s cold since they can easily break under the weight of your foot especially if the shingles are located on an uneven surface or they re slightly curved.

However while not ideal roof construction and repair can be done in cold weather as long as weather related precautions are strictly observed. The best time to install a new roof is when the weather is warmer than 50 degrees the shingles need heat from the sun to seal. But even if snow and ice haven t accumulated on the roof in need of replacing when the weather grows too cold profoundly affects an installer s ability to use tools and operate equipment. To avoid these issues avoid roofing in temperatures below 40 degrees f.

Remember that the rake edges areas between dormers and top few courses of the roof are the most prone to wind issues due to the wind speed increasing as it goes over the roof. Additionally cold weather applications require six 6 nails instead of the usual four 4. The crew should look out for this and hand seal with roofing cement in a caulking gun if the weather is too cold to activate the bond. Sometimes the seriousness of the roof situation outweighs the risk of doing the job in winter but in most cases it s wise to wait until the temperature is above freezing.