Delaying the job definitely beats writing up a failure report later—totally get that. I’ve seen crews try shade tarps too, but honestly, the difference is pretty minimal once the sun’s pounding down. The warranty thing seems like a gray area... manufacturers always seem to find a way to point at installation. It’s frustrating, but I’d rather be the one asking for patience than explaining why we have leaks six months in.
the difference is pretty minimal once the sun’s pounding down. The warranty thing seems like a gray area... manufacturers always seem to find a way to point at installation.
Man, I hear you on that. I tried the whole “shade tarp” trick last summer when I was patching up my shed roof—felt like I was just sweating under a slightly darker oven. Honestly, I started wondering if I should just wait for a cloudy day and call it a win.
The warranty stuff is wild. I swear, you could follow every step in the book and they’d still find a way to blame you if something goes wrong. Makes me paranoid about every seam.
I’d rather have my neighbors annoyed at the half-finished roof than be the one mopping up leaks in the living room later. Plus, trying to weld TPO when it’s blazing hot? I feel like the membrane’s halfway to melting before I even touch it with the gun. Is there even a “safe” temp, or is it just “don’t fry yourself or the roof”?
Anyway, patience seems like the lesser evil, even if it means living with a blue tarp for a bit.
Plus, trying to weld TPO when it’s blazing hot? I feel like the membrane’s halfway to melting before I even touch it with the gun. Is there even a “safe” temp, or is it just “don’t fry yourself or the roof”?
That’s honestly the million-dollar question. I’ve seen guys try to push through at noon in July and it’s just asking for headaches. TPO gets soft way faster than you think when the sun’s baking it, and you end up chasing your welds or, worse, cooking the scrim. I usually tell folks—if you can’t touch the membrane for more than a second or two, it’s already too hot to get a consistent weld.
Manufacturers will give you a temp range (I think 100°F ambient is usually their upper limit), but in real life, the surface can be 140+ easy. At that point, you’re fighting the material and risking voiding that warranty you mentioned. And yeah, they’ll absolutely use temp guns and blame “improper technique” if there’s a problem down the road.
I’d rather deal with a blue tarp and some neighborly side-eye than redo seams or eat a denied claim. Early morning or late evening is worth the hassle. The sun wins every time if you try to rush it.
Funny how the “safe temp” is always lower than the actual roof temp when you need to get stuff done. I’ve tried the early morning trick, but sometimes the dew makes things slippery. Anyone ever have luck using those big shade tarps to keep things cooler, or is that just asking for a wind disaster?
Tried the shade tarp thing once—never again. Looked like a good idea on YouTube, but in real life, it turned into a sail every time the wind picked up. Nearly took out my neighbor’s fence and almost sent me flying with it. I get the temptation though, especially when you’re up there and your shoes feel like they’re melting. Early mornings are hit or miss for me too. Half the time, I’m just skating around on dew and cursing my life choices.
I’ve started timing things around those rare overcast days, but that’s not exactly something you can plan for. Honestly, I just end up sweating buckets and taking breaks in the shade whenever I can—budget doesn’t stretch to fancy cooling gadgets or pro crews. If anyone’s actually made a tarp work without turning their roof into a wind tunnel, hats off to them... but I’m not risking another “Wizard of Oz” moment.
