When should you have your roof inspected?

You want to have your roof inspected once before the season with the most severe weather and once after. In the northern climates, the severe weather is winter where the cold, storms and precipitation contributes more to the demise of the roof. However, where hot weather rules, summer is the severe season - the solar UV radiation is higher, and the roof is subjected to high heat and to thermal shock due to sudden cooling during summer rains. You want to check the roof before the severe season to prepare the roof for its ordeal to come and once after it has weathered the season to repair any problems that happened during.

Periodically, a formal moisture survey should be done in addition to the normal visual survey. There are three major types of moisture survey systems used, none of which actually measures water. All of them measure properties of the roof materials that change when there is water present.

• An infrared scan measures the amount of heat retained or lost through the insulation. Wet insulation transmits heat better than dry materials. Thus, the infrared camera will pick up the higher levels of heat radiated by wet materials.
• Nuclear isotopic meters work by sending hydrogen ions into the roof system and counting the number that bounce back. Because water has two hydrogen ions in every molecule, the number of ions counted increases significantly when water is present in the roof.
• Electrical capacitance and resistance meters measure the ability of roof materials to conduct electricity. They work on the principle that wet materials conduct electricity better than dry ones do.

Each of these testing methods has limitations that need to be discussed with a roofing expert to determine their applicability to a particular roof before they are used. It is worthwhile to have a formal moisture survey done at least once every five years. If a roof is found to be in marginal condition at any time, a survey should be used at that point to help formulate a course of action.


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Why spend money every year to maintain your roof?

Everyday exposure to sun, rain, air conditioning repair workers, and other wear-and-tear slowly ages your roof membrane until its service life ends. Every extra year you can eke out of the roof is that much more money that can be saved for other expenditures. A roof doesn't need food and exercise, but it does need regular check-up's in the form of regular inspections and prompt repairs.

What benefit is there in spending money every year to maintain the roof? Studies have shown that a roofs not regularly maintained will only last about half of their expected service life. You might say "That's why I have a warranty.", but don't assume that a warranty will help. Almost all manufacturers of roofing materials state specifically in their warranty that your warranty is void if the roof is not maintained. If you can not show that the roof has been properly and andequately maintained, you will not have a case when you try to make a claim on a warranty issue.

Your roof should be inspected at least twice a year to keep the roof alive as long as possible and to maintain your warranty. Depending on the depth and complexity of the inspection, the inspector can be the building staff, an architect or engineer who specializes in roof consulting, or a competent roofing contractor. The inspection can entail anything from looking at the roof while walking to repair an A/C unit, all the way to a formal inspection with a moisture survey.

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Patton Services | (309) 303-3128 | rpatton55@comcast.net | http://www.whiteroofingsystems.com

Conklin Metal Roof Coating Restoration System (M/R) [+ video]

The metal restoration system's unique combination of liquid-applied base coat, flexible polyester fabric and white reflective elastomeric top coat provides a durable waterproofing system that prevents leaks from ruining more than just your roof.

By using Conklin Energy Star labeled products on a metal roof, you'll lower your surface temperatures by up to 15 degrees and reduce the amount of heat transferred into the building, thus reducing your cooling costs.


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ROOFING CONTRACTORS NEEDED IN MULTIPLE STATES!
Patton Services | (309) 303-3128 | rpatton55@comcast.net | http://www.whiteroofingsystems.com

Preparing to install 76,000 square feet of Conklin roof coatings [+ video]

Conklin Roofing Systems Master Contractor Mike Stout of Stout Roofing and Coatings, Inc. in Havana, Illinois talks about a job to install a white reflective Conklin roof coating system over 76,000 square feet of existing modified bitumen roof (no tear-off).


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ROOFING CONTRACTORS NEEDED IN MULTIPLE STATES!
Patton Services | (309) 303-3128 | rpatton55@comcast.net | http://www.whiteroofingsystems.com

Conklin foam & coatings system for flat roofs [+ video]

Watch as an existing smooth built-up roof in Bloomington, Illinois is covered with sprayed-in-place polyurethane foam (SPF) and coated with Conklin's Benchmark base coat and white reflective top coating.

This job was completed by Conklin Roofing Systems Master Contractor Ted Williams of Williams Roofing & Construction in Springfield, Illinois. A jobsite interview with the building owner's representative reveals that he chose this particular system due to the energy savings and lack of need to tear-off the existing roof system. Narrated by Randy Patton of Patton Services (White Roofing Systems).


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ROOFING CONTRACTORS NEEDED IN MULTIPLE STATES!
Patton Services | (309) 303-3128 | rpatton55@comcast.net | http://www.whiteroofingsystems.com

Conklin foam and coatings for flat roofs [+ video]

Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) roofing systems are growing in demand due to their "green" energy-saving properties. Conklin roofing contractors can apply a foam and coatings roofing system on your building.

Conklin coatings, which are sprayed over the spray-in-place foam insulation system, are VOC compliant, durable, energy efficient, economical, and weatherproof to protect your new or existing building for years to come. SPF chemically bonds itself to the existing roof surface, so no tear-off is required (saving money, time and the environment). SPF is extremely light, adding very little weight load to the building. It provides a seamless, water-tight design that withstands the toughest weather conditions and harshest temperature extremes.

Foam and coating systems can be applied over built-up, single-ply, modified bitumen, metal, and other roof systems. The maintenance costs of a foam and coating system are among the lowest lifecycle costs in the roofing industry.

Before the foam can be applied, the roof must be cleared of dirt and debris, and all wet, moist or damaged and ponding water areas are repaired. Then the foam is sprayed on the roof to the specified thickness before the base coat is applied. Finally, the white reflective top coat is applied.

If you would like a color other than white, a show-coat can be applied as well. A variety of warranty options are available (up to 10 years) as well.


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ROOFING CONTRACTORS NEEDED IN MULTIPLE STATES!
Patton Services | (309) 303-3128 | rpatton55@comcast.net | http://www.whiteroofingsystems.com

How to install a metal roof restoration coating system [+ video]

Watch as Elmer's Roofing Service, a professional Conklin roofing contractor, installs a metal restoration coating system on the rusted metal roof of the All Brands Appliances building in Neenah, Wisconsin.

The roof area is 190 squares. The job was started in the beginning of October of 2010 in Wisconsin, which is somewhat pushing it temperature-wise for a roof coating installation (to find out why, please contact Elmer).

The crew begins by pressure-washing the roof with a cleaning agent, then they install the fabric-reinforced primer over the corrugated metal panels. Then they base coat the horizontal and vertical seams of the panels and seal all the fasteners with caulk. Finally, the crew installed the white reflective top coat.

Elmer also gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the equipment they are using to give you a sense of what is involved with installing metal roof restoration systems (including a gas-powered Graco 733 pump which is hooked up to the drum on the truck which is filled with the Conklin roof coating material, and more).


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ROOFING CONTRACTORS NEEDED IN MULTIPLE STATES!
Patton Services | (309) 303-3128 | rpatton55@comcast.net | http://www.whiteroofingsystems.com

Conklin tack coat roofing system over white rubber [+video]

Watch as a professional Conklin roofing contractor installs elastomeric roof coatings to provide a new, cost-effective solution for repairing and preserving this approved single-ply membrane.

The roof is now waterproof again, and the building owners and managers will benefit from a long-lasting system that also provides improved energy savings.

The steps to install the energy efficient single-ply roof coating system in this video include:

1. Power washing the roof with water
2. Adding cleaner (WACII) to the power washing effort
3. Applying a primer (tack coat)
4. Using a base coat and fabric over all existing seams
5. Applying a top coat (Rapid Roof III)
6.  

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ROOFING CONTRACTORS NEEDED IN MULTIPLE STATES!
Patton Services | (309) 303-3128 | rpatton55@comcast.net | http://www.whiteroofingsystems.com

Installing tapered ISO board with a Conklin ply roof coating system on a flat roof [+video]

Elmer Dowling and the Elmer's Roofing Service team install a tapered ISO board with a Conklin ply roof coating system on a flat roof in Westbury, NY (Long Island).

The basic process includes the following steps:

1. Tear-off the existing roof system
2. Install a taper (drainage) system consisting of ISO board (insulation) and crickets
3. Install a primer coating
4. Seal the seams with base coat, fabric and caulking (where necessary)
5. Apply a base coat with fabric to reinforce it
6. Apply a white reflective (energy efficient) top coating

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ROOFING CONTRACTORS NEEDED IN MULTIPLE STATES!
Patton Services | (309) 303-3128 | rpatton55@comcast.net | http://www.whiteroofingsystems.com

Conklin foam & coatings repair over metal roof of Boys & Girls Club [+ video]

After a mechanical room fire at the Boys & Girls Club of Pekin, Illinois, one section of the metal roof had collapsed, and the existing foam was blistered from the fire.

Conklin roofing contractors worked quickly to remove the damaged section (including the metal itself), re-install new metal roof panels, spray on new foam, then install Conklin Roofing Systems base coat and white reflective top coat.


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ROOFING CONTRACTORS NEEDED IN MULTIPLE STATES!
Patton Services | (309) 303-3128 | rpatton55@comcast.net | http://www.whiteroofingsystems.com

Options and benefits of sustainable roofing

The impact that roofs have on energy can be significant. In winter, insufficient or damaged roof insulation allows heat to readily escape. In summer, heat gained through the roof increases not only the cooling load, but also the peak cooling load and peak electrical demand.

A flat or low-slope roof gives maximum exposure to the sun’s rays when the building’s cooling loads and costs are the highest. Most flat and low-slope roof materials are dark, absorbing solar energy and the infrared portion of sunlight. Roof temperatures from noon to late afternoon are often 60-100F higher than the ambient temperature. While some heat is radiated back to the atmosphere, much is conducted to the conditioned space below.

Sustainable Roofing Principles
The concept of sustainability is changing how facility executives look at roofing. Roofs designed with sustainability in mind go beyond cost considerations, incorporating energy efficiency, the impact that the roof will have on the environment, and maintenance and renewal requirements over the life of the building.

Energy savings are one of the most attractive features of sustainable roofing. By limiting the heat loss from the building during the heating season and by reducing the heat gain during the air-conditioning season, facility executives can reduce energy use and the environmental impact from energy use.

The roof has another impact on the environment: waste products. All roofs have a finite service life and at the end of their service life. They have to be removed, replaced, recovered or renewed. A sustainable approach minimizes the waste produced from the roof over the life of the building by minimizing the number of times that the entire roof must be fully removed from the building. Instead of requiring removal and replacement, the roof is built from materials that can be recoated or renewed.

Reflective Roof Surfaces
One of the most cost-effective steps to improve the energy efficiency of the roof is to apply a reflective coating like those from Conklin to the roof surface. An uncoated, black roof absorbs 70-80% of solar energy. When a white or light-colored coating is applied, the solar absorption rate decreases to 20-30%. Surface temperatures will be only 15-20F higher than the ambient temperature, far less than the 60-100F temperature rise found with uncoated roofs.

On average, reflective coatings reduce heat gain through the roof by 50% for buildings in warm climates. Because most air conditioning systems are electrically driven, the reduction in cooling load cuts demand for electricity when the building is setting its peak use; peak reduction is typically 10-15%.

Reflective coatings do not boost winter heating costs significantly.The heat loss through the roof small relative to the heat gain. For example, when it is 30F outside and 70F inside, the temperature differential is only 40 degrees — probably less because the sun will heat up even a reflective surface somewhat. During summer, the temperature differential is 70F or more. The cost of air conditioning energy is also higher than the cost of heating energy. Finally, in winter, flat roofs in cold climates may well be covered with snow, which reflects solar energy.

Reflective roof coatings can also extend roof life. Ultraviolet light from the sun breaks down roofing materials, causing them to weaken or become brittle. Reflective roof coatings shield roofing materials from ultraviolet light. High surface temperatures accelerate the breakdown of roofing materials by increasing the rate at which chemical reactions take place, reactions that weaken materials or reduce their flexibility.

Uncoated roofs are also subjected to wide temperature swings during the day. Reflective coatings greatly decrease the thermal stress generated by temperature swings, which can lead to early component failures.

Reflective roofs also help to reduce urban heat islands, which occur when a concentration of dark surfaces (e.g., roofs and asphalt pavement) absorb enough solar radiation to elevate the surrounding temperature by several degrees. These higher local temperatures increase cooling loads and energy use.

Reflective coatings must be matched to the type of roof installed, as not all coatings are compatible with all roofing materials. While coatings are durable, they do wear and their reflectivity decreases with age. Most must be reapplied every 5-10 years to maintain reflectivity and protective properties.

When considering reflective coatings, look for one that carries the Energy Star® label. These products have been certified to reflect at least 65% of the solar radiation that strikes the roof, without reducing the quality or the performance of the roof. Some products that carry the certification have reflectivities as high as 85%.

NOTE: Roof insulation and green roofs are other forms of sustainable roofing systems, which we will discuss in future blog posts.


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ROOFING CONTRACTORS NEEDED IN MULTIPLE STATES!
Patton Services | (309) 303-3128 | rpatton55@comcast.net | http://www.whiteroofingsystems.com