Man, reading this makes me realize why my DIY roofing attempt last summer was such a disaster, haha. I borrowed a buddy's heat gun and figured hotter = faster, right? Cranked that sucker up to max and ended up with seams that looked like burnt toast. Had to redo half the roof, and my wallet still hasn't forgiven me.
But seriously, your point about weather messing with settings is spot-on. I swear, every time I thought I'd finally nailed the perfect temp, a gust of wind or a cloudy afternoon would come along and laugh in my face. I ended up spending more time fiddling with the dial than actually welding.
One thing I'm curious about though—does the brand or type of heat gun make a big difference in how consistent your welds turn out? Like, is it worth shelling out extra cash for one of those fancy digital ones with precise temperature control, or can you get by just fine with a basic model if you're careful enough? I'm all for saving money, but after my last fiasco, I'm starting to think some things might be worth splurging on...
I feel your pain—I went cheap on my first heat gun too and regretted it. Upgraded to one with digital temp control and honestly, the consistency is night and day. Definitely worth spending a bit more to avoid another roofing nightmare...
Totally agree that digital temp control is a lifesaver for consistency. But honestly, even with a good heat gun, I've found there's still a bit of a learning curve. I remember one summer I was helping my brother patch up his garage roof (TPO as well), and we thought hotter was better—big mistake. Ended up scorching the membrane and had to redo half the job. Lesson learned: patience beats high heat every time.
Curious though, what temperature range do you usually stick to for TPO? I've seen some guys swear by around 1000°F, but personally, anything above 850°F makes me nervous. Seems like every roof has its own quirks though...
I've actually found that sometimes the issue isn't just the temp setting but how fast you move along the seam. I usually hover around 900°F, but I'll adjust my pace depending on how things are looking. Did a shed roof last fall, and at first I thought I was scorching it—but realized slowing down slightly and keeping a steady hand made all the difference. Every TPO brand seems a bit different though...
900°F seems a bit high to me—I've found around 750-800°F usually does the trick without risking scorching. But you're right, speed matters a ton. Seen plenty of seams fail just from rushing through the weld...
