Haha, the marshmallow thing is spot-on... I've definitely toasted a few membranes myself. You're right about the temp range—550°F-ish usually does the trick for me too. But honestly, it's all about that steady hand and patience. First time I tried rushing, ended up with bubbles everywhere and had to redo half the seam. Lesson learned the hard way, but hey, that's roofing for ya... live and learn, right?
Yeah, steady hand is key for sure. I've found around 500-550°F usually hits the sweet spot—any hotter and you're basically asking for trouble. Learned that one after turning a seam into Swiss cheese... not my finest moment, haha.
Yeah, that temp range sounds about right from my experience too. Had a similar mishap once—got distracted and ended up with a seam looking like melted cheese... happens to everyone at some point, haha.
Haha, melted cheese seams... that's a pretty accurate description. I've seen my fair share of roofing jobs during inspections, and trust me, you're definitely not alone on that one. It seems like TPO can be pretty unforgiving if your mind wanders even for a second or two. I've always wondered though—does ambient temperature or humidity play much of a role in how quickly things can go sideways? Seems like it might make sense that hotter days could push you closer to that "cheesy" territory faster. Either way, sounds like you've got the right idea with keeping an eye on the temp range. Mistakes happen, but hey, that's how we learn, right?
"Seems like it might make sense that hotter days could push you closer to that 'cheesy' territory faster."
Haha, I get what you're saying, but honestly, in my experience, cooler days can sometimes be just as tricky. One time we had a crew out on a chilly morning, and you'd think it'd give them extra leeway, right? Nope... they cranked the heat up a bit too high to compensate, and bam—instant grilled cheese sandwich seams. 😂 It's less about ambient temp alone and more about how well the welder adjusts their settings and pays attention to the material's response. Humidity though, that's a whole different beast. I've seen humid days turn a simple weld into a frustrating mess faster than you can say "redo." So yeah, temperature matters, but I'd argue it's the combo of conditions plus operator technique that really decides whether you're getting clean seams or lunch specials.
