West Texas Roofing Services

Roofing Factors That Matter in West Texas

The climate here shares little with the humid Gulf Coast or the storm-prone Metroplexes of North and Central Texas. In West Texas there's a fundamentally different set of stressors, and roofs can face all of them simultaneously, year after year.

• UV radiation is the defining threat.
  There is no more aggressive solar environment in Texas than the high-altitude desert and semi-arid expanses of West Texas. El Paso, Midland, Odessa and the Trans-Pecos sit at elevations and latitudes that maximize solar intensity beneath a sky that is rarely cloudy and air that provides no buffer. UV radiation breaks down asphalt shingle granule coatings faster here than virtually anywhere else in the state. Products with UV-resistant coatings, metal roofing systems and reflective roof coatings are smart options in this environment.
• Temperature swings punish roofing systems from both ends.
  Summer afternoons in the Permian Basin regularly exceed 100��F while winter nights drop well below freezing. In the high desert communities of the Trans-Pecos daily swings can exceed 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. That amplitude of thermal cycling causes sealants to crack, fasteners to lose grip and flat roofing seams to develop the micro-failures that eventually become leaks. Freeze events at higher elevations can then force water into any existing weakness and worsen the damage overnight.
• Dust storms accelerate surface degradation in ways that are unique to this region.
  West Texas's massive dust storms blast every exposed surface with abrasive particulate for hours at a time, stripping granule coatings from shingles, scouring protective finishes from metal panels and working fine grit into every sealant detail, pipe boot and penetration on the roof. Even between storm events, persistent sand-laden winds degrade sealants and edge flashing at a rapid pace.
• Flash flooding creates drainage failures that dry conditions mask.
  West Texas averages less than 12 inches of annual rainfall in many communities, but when rain arrives, it falls fast. Flat roof drains and scuppers that have sat unused long enough to collect debris can be overwhelmed instantly, leaving standing water that accelerates membrane degradation and seam failure. Steep-slope roofs face overloaded gutters when months of potential rainfall land in a single afternoon.