Let’s talk about temperatures in Oklahoma and how they affect roofing for us. I have to start off by saying this is how we operate at Up Armor. Different isn’t necessarily wrong. This is just how we operate. Today is October 25th, 2021. It’s 51 degrees out this morning with a high of 66 degrees according to Dark Sky. No chance of rain and dry air. Today is a perfect day for roofing. We consider not only rain and the chance of rain but also humidity, dew points, and temperatures. Here’s why:
- Rain. Rain is the most obvious consideration. Is it going to rain? Is it a 10% chance? is it a 90% chance? At what times? Where? What type of job is it? First of all, we use weather software that is a lot more specific than 10% increments on rain chances for a zip code for a given day. We look at hour specific, address specific, and project specifics to decide if a roofing project is a good idea today. Our starting point on rain chances vs working is at 40% chance or greater. If the chance id 40% or greater for the address, we are postponing. Rain storms can be very locational though. If it is a roof replacement, we prefer to have all daylight hours with no rain. We generally treat repairs like half days though so morning rain can result in afternoon work and vice versa.
- Humidity/Cold Air. If it is cold enough over night, roofs can be slippery from dew developing on them overnight. Safety is the most important consideration for us when determining if we can work in the morning. Dew is more common as it we get into colder weather. Sunlight burns off most dew by the afternoon so we consider this when scheduling repair work. In colder weather, afternoon repairs are always preferable to morning repairs which are prone to getting postponed. Another consideration is roof slope. Dew on a roof is a much bigger safety issue if the roof is too steep to walk on to begin with.
- Temperature. Of the three weather factors, temperature has the greatest affect on our business. When temperatures are below 40 degrees, this puts the integrity of roofing materials into question. Shingles can crack or split when being nailed below 40 degrees. Below 40 degrees, shingles become very stiff and difficult to manipulate into place. Not to mention they are much more difficult to safely carry up a ladder when they don’t bend a little bit to the shape of your shoulder. Aesthetically, shingles require being heated and cooled several times before they finally settle into their resting place and get a permanent seal so if it is consistently below 40 outside, it can take a month or more for new shingle roof to really look they way it should and complete the sealing process. This is mostly an aesthetic consideration but customers typically don’t like that some of their shingles look like they are a bit wonky when they have not settled into their final resting place yet.
With the above considerations, you might have already gathered that we don’t do much work in the winter months. We can do it. We like to stay busy. It isn’t impossible. After all, roofers in Chicago find a way to get roofs installed, right? But given that we have a large portion of the year where conditions are so much better for installing roofs, it often makes sense to aim for May through October for a roof install. That being said, we are like most hard working Americans and we do not need that much time off every year. Oklahoma usually gives us pockets of warm weather in the off season and if you have the need for a roof replacement this Winter, we’ll work hard to find the next best weather window for you.
I would love to chat with you more about it. Call or iMessage me anytime at 918-991-9295 or if you prefer you can email questions directly to me at lucas.heffner@uaroof.com.
Lucas signing off
Over and Out
