Texas heat affecting how roofers do their jobs

AUSTIN, Texas - The heat is affecting how roofers do their work. It can be dangerous to be on top of a house with the high temperatures. 

Josh Hadden, chief operating officer at The Roof Joker, says workers start their job at sunrise and take a break from about 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. They go back to work in the evening to avoid the hottest time of day.

"It's too hot to be on the roof. Up there, the air is probably 120 [degrees], and the surface is probably about 150 [degrees]," he said.

A job that would normally be finished in a day might be done in two days.

"Got to keep the guys safe, keep them hydrated and cool," Hadden said. "You have the danger of getting heat stroke, last place you want to pass out is on a roof, then you fall to the ground."

Plus, shingles get softer in the heat, and workers don't want to ruin them.

"A shingle is a layer of fiberglass, coated in asphalt, and then there are granules that protect the asphalt from the sun. That asphalt, just like if you're standing on the road barefoot, you'd be burning your feet, same thing with a shingle, it just absorbs heat," Hadden said.

While hail and wind can certainly damage your roof, so can the heat.

"The heat is really what ages the roof much faster, which is why it's so important to have proper ventilation on your roof. You want your attic to be breathing, letting cool air into your intake vents and having the proper ventilation, so the hot air can escape," Hadden said.

He recommends getting your roof inspected every year after the 10-year mark and getting maintenance done every five years.

The heat is also partly why they're not as busy this summer.

"Three things drive the roofing business: big storms, rain, and real estate transactions, and all three of those things have kind of dried up," he said.

Hadden says the last time they saw heat to the same degree was in 2011.