Where is SPF roofing used?

Specifying SPF Roofing Systems: Part 3

Where is SPF used?
Spray polyurethane foam (SPF) roofing systems like those from Conklin have good adhesion to a variety of substrates, including metal, wood, concrete, and built-up roofing (BUR). Since SPF adds little weight to existing roof coverings and can build slope to fill in low areas, these systems are used frequently as a recover roofing system.

Caution should be used when specifying any recover roofing system. The existing roof covering and roof deck assembly should be thoroughly evaluated to verify that it can be a good substrate for SPF roofing systems.

Hail and wind-driven missiles (such as tree limbs, broken roof tile, metal flashing, etc.) can damage the SPF roofing system. However, this type of damage typically does not cause leaks and can be repaired later without compromising the long-term performance of the system. SPF roofing systems also excel when the following conditions exist:
- Additional insulation is required.
- There are severe temperatures.
- The roof substrate has numerous penetrations.
- The roof deck is an unusual configuration.
- The roof is in an area where high winds are likely to occur.
- Lightweight materials are required.
- Slope must be added to provide positive drainage.

Because of the energy-saving characteristics and low maintenance costs of SPF roof systems, these roofs are suited to companies or organizations that own their own buildings and must pay their own energy and maintenance costs.

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What type of life should I expect from a SPF roof?

Specifying SPF Roofing Systems: Part 2

What type of life should I expect from a SPF roof?

In 1996 and 2003, the National Roofing Foundation commissioned Dr. Rene Dupuis of Structural Research Inc. to conduct research on spray polyurethane foam (SPF) roofing systems like those from Conklin in six different climate zones in the United States. Based on surveys of over 300 SPF roofing systems, Dupuis concluded that SPF roofs have an effective service life of more than 30 years. The research also shows that the physical properties of the foam change very little with age. This indicates that the life expectancy of a SPF roof system depends primarily on the original application and long-term maintenance.

SPF roofing systems should be inspected semi-annually and after events that could cause mechanical damage, such as hail storms, tornados, and hurricanes. Small (less than 4-inch in diameter) cracks, gouges, or punctures can be repaired with an elastomeric sealant compatible with the SPF system. To repair more extensive damage, remove the damaged foam and reapply additional SPF and coating.

SPF roofing systems typically are recoated at regularly scheduled intervals to extend the life of the system. According to Dupuis’ research, SPF roofing systems currently average 15 years between recoating cycles.

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Is SPF right for your next roofing project?

Specifying SPF Roofing Systems: Part 1

Is a spray polyurethane foam system right for your next roofing project?

In today’s buildings industry, there is a growing desire to provide owners with durable, long-lasting roofing systems that combine high energy performance with low maintenance costs. From that desire, a renewed interest in SPF roofing systems has risen. SPF roofing systems like those from Conklin have been around for more than 40 years; however, there is still a significant lack of knowledge among many roofing professionals on how to specify, install, or maintain these systems.

What is spray polyurethane foam roofing?
Spray polyurethane foam (SPF) roofing consists of an application of specifically designed foam covered with an elastomeric coating (typically acrylic, silicone, or polyurethane) or aggregate covering to protect the foam from ultraviolet rays. Specialized equipment mixes two liquid components at the spray gun that applies the SPF to a prepared substrate. The mixed liquid expands many times its original volume in a matter of seconds, forming a rigid foam plastic that chemically bonds to the surface to which it is sprayed. Spraying the foam in ½-inch to 1½-inch lifts allows the applicator to reach the desired thickness to fill in low areas, build up slope, and provide insulation.

SPF has a closed-cell structure that makes it water resistant. It must be protected by elastomeric coatings or other coverings (such as aggregate) to prevent ultraviolet-induced surface degradation. Such coverings can also be used for other purposes, including inhibiting moisture vapor transmission, enhancing the aesthetics of the system, increasing the impact and abrasion resistance of the system, and achieving flammability and code requirements.

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Coatings as Heat Control

Roof coatings like those from Conklin have become a commonly used material to reduce heat exposure and the subsequent hardening of the vital asphalt waterproofing component of built-up roof systems. The two most commonly used types of roof coatings are aluminum and acrylic elastomers.

The ideal time to use coatings is at installation. Application at this point will immediately retard the aging process and significantly extend roof life. But managers also can specify coatings for preventive maintenance purposes, applying them on previously installed roofs to extend performance life. The important point here is understanding that no coating will make a bad roof good again.

Generally, roofs more than 15 years old that have not been maintained properly with coatings are not good candidates for preventive maintenance-type coatings. At some point, a roof system is so weathered or brittle that it is not cost-effective to apply a coating. Managers might want to schedule a technician to perform a core analysis of the roof membrane to determine the suitability of the roof’s condition to accept coatings.

Base flashings are an ideal place to use coatings. About 90 percent of all roof leaks occur at flashings, and they tend to degrade even faster then the roof’s field. This degradation occurs because the vertical surface of the flashing receives intensive ultraviolet exposure, and the flashing membrane tends to be made of fewer materials than the roof field, due to weight considerations related to the walls.

Aluminum coatings help reflect the sun’s rays. In effect, they keep the roof’s surface cooler and slow down the hardening of the asphalt. One disadvantage of aluminum coatings is that the aluminum particles that produce its reflectivity eventually break down and erode, producing a dulling action of the aluminum, thus reducing the coating’s reflectivity.

Also, the low elasticity nature of aluminum coatings does not prevent alligatoring of the coating, along with the alligatoring of the asphalt. Because of this dulling action, the roof needs to be recoated periodically — every two to four years — to revitalize the initial reflectivity properties.

Initially, an aluminum coating might be less expensive than an elastomeric coating, but it needs to be reapplied more often than the elastomeric product, so it might end up costing more in the long run.

Acrylic elastomeric coatings are single-component co-polymers or tar-polymers of acrylic monomers. Most are water-based — acrylic latex — coatings, which makes them easier to apply and clean up. Manufacturers can tint these coatings to produce various colors, but the most commonly used color is white because of its superior cooling effect on the roof.

Elastomeric coatings do not experience the particle breakdown that aluminum coatings do. As a result, they maintain their reflectivity and emissivity as long as they are on the roof. They do degrade over time and lose thickness, so managers might need to schedule recoating every 7-10 years.

Finally, managers should carefully and thoroughly scrutinize the manufacturer’s reputation prior to using their coatings. And any coatings used should be compatible with and accepted by the roofing membrane manufacturer to which it is being applied.

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Finding The ‘Right’ Roof Coating

When specifying a roof coating like those from Conklin to protect a roof membrane, you should how the coating measures up to a series of criteria. The coating:

• must be compatible with the roofing materials to which it is applied
• 

  should be reflective and non-heat absorbing
• should be fire-resistant and meet code requirements
• should maintain its properties for at least five years without the need for re-coating
• should have elastomeric properties to withstand normal roof movement
• should be able to withstand normal foot traffic
• should be able to resist water entry

Also, the existing roof must have adequate slope to prevent prolonged ponding on the coating. Perhaps most importantly, you should make sure that your goal in applying the roof coating is not to try making a bad roof good.

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

 

Aging and Asphalt-Based Roofing

Asphalt is a waterproofing agent and adhesive used in assembling multiple plies of organic or inorganic felts into one homogeneous roofing membrane, built-up roof systems. Manufacturers have used this type of construction successfully for decades, and it remains a common choice for roofing, with about 40 percent market share.

The asphalt used in built-up systems provides an excellent water barrier, but as with other materials, asphalt is highly subject to degradation from exposure, just as other materials are. Asphalt hardens progressively when exposed to roof temperatures. This occurs with all asphalt-based components, including cap sheets, saturated felts, and asphalt moppings.

Temperature changes cause the underlying asphalt to expand. Since the asphalt skin cannot stretch to accommodate the movement, random crack patterns appear to relieve the stress. Fresh asphalt is exposed below the broken skin.

Over time, the fresh asphalt within the cracks forms a new skin. The new skin layer will then eventually crack in the same line again, due to temperature changes, leaving a slightly deeper depression. This process repeats itself until the crack lines grow very deep and into the felts, allowing water infiltration.

A vital component of a successful built-up roof system is surfacing to protect the asphalt waterproofing component from the effects of exposure. The two most common methods of surfacing built-up roof membranes are a flood coat of aggregate embedded in asphalt or a mineral-surfaced cap sheet.

A cover of aggregate or minerals over the asphalt can minimize surface deterioration, but it has little effect on the hardening of the underlying asphalt. These types of surfaces simply do not keep the roof temperature from rising. In some cases, depending on the type of aggregate or color of minerals, they might absorb heat, further elevating temperatures.

So why are these two types of surfacing used most often? Because they provide a durable surface to withstand foot-traffic abuse, another important factor in roof longevity.

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How long should my roof last?

One of the most commonly asked questions in the roofing industry is “How long should the roof last?”

Although roofs fail prematurely due to unexpected external forces like including earthquakes, hail, hurricanes, tornados, and foot-traffic abuse, a primary reason for premature failure is regular and prolonged exposure to sun and wind.

All exterior-grade construction materials need to provide a means of fighting off sun and wind’s oxidizing effects, which result in aging. Roofing materials are in a league of their own in this regard, especially because their location makes them especially vulnerable. The roof is fully exposed to the sun’s rays and is elevated enough to allow wind to blow across it freely.

Exterior materials subjected to the deteriorating effects of aging and weather tend to diminish in performance. When materials are subjected to the roofing environment, deterioration from exposure and biological effects accelerates. The pressure on roofing materials to react or degrade is several times that of materials on the interior of the building.

In a growing number of institutional and commercial facilities, maintenance and engineering managers are specifying roof coatings like those from Conklin to protect roofing systems and, in turn, a facility’s interior operations and components. Many managers also are more closely investigating the role light-colored and reflective coatings play in holding down buildings’ cooling loads.

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Tired of labor problems and low profit margins? Make more $$ spraying coatings with Conklin Roofing Systems! Patton Services | (309) 303-3128 | rpatton55@comcast.net | http://www.whiteroofingsystems.com