8 Areas of Quality Control that Make or Break a TPO Roof Installation

1. Test Robot Welding
RAMCON tests it’s robot welder settings every morning, afternoon, and after any major temperature change throughout the day. We perform practice robot welds on scrap membrane, changing only one variable at a time, either temperature or speed. After the welds have cooled, we cut a one-inch strip across each weld for each change in temperature or speed. Then we perform a pull test. If a cold weld or a partial weld happens those temperatures and speeds are not at the proper setting for the current climatic conditions. Once a full or perfect weld is accomplished, the welding robot is set to the perfect speed and temperature.

4. Probing For Voids
After the seam has cooled, we come back and probe those seams. If a void occurs, we patch it with an unsupported membrane on the same day; ensuring the installation is perfect before we leave the roof.

3. Improper Perimeter & Corner Enhancement
Roof failures are most common at perimeters and corners due to the lack of enhancements.
The most crucial items are:
• Adding the correct amount of additional fasteners to an insulation for full adherence
• The proper number of perimeter sheets for a mechanically attached roof system.
The biggest mistake contractors make is improper installation of attaching perimeter sheets at the corners. Fasteners need to “box” in the corner area. The following pictures show where the fasteners are required to go and which were missing on this project.

4. Base Fastening at Curbs & Penetrations
The end of a membrane (termination) requires termination fasteners and plates. Prior to flashing installation penetrations (pipes, curbs etc.) they must be terminated. Base fastening and termination are typically required regardless of the manufacturer to properly secure the
membrane.

5. "Drain Bolts" Attached Properly
Tightening drain bolts on a roof is one of the most easily forgotten items by contractors. Without tightened drain bolts, water can get into the system or, as shown in the example, can actually lift up and cause a catastrophic failure.

6. Priming "Pitch Pockets" Before Sealing
Pitch pockets must be primed before adding pourable sealer or grout. If it is not primed, it will not stick to the penetrations allowing leaks to develop. Missing this step is a leading source of water intrusion.

7. Cleaning
If a TPO membrane experiences exposure for over 24 hours or gets dirty before welding begins to avoid seam failure clean the membrane. Therefore, it is ideal to do all welding and flashing on the day of installation. The picture shows both a properly cleaned area and an improperly cleaned area. Unfortunately, the un-cleaned seams will fail.

8. T-Joint Patches
There is always confusion over when and where T-joint patches are applied. The first place is at any horizontal transition where the end lap of a roll intersects with the side lap of another roll, or the T-joint intersection. The second place to use a T-joint patch is at a start or stop for the robot. This will ensure there are no voids left eliminating water intrusion. For quality control, we regularly inspect all lap runs and flashings wherever a welded lap terminates at a wall or roof edge.

Quality Control Makes The Difference
When choosing a contractor to install your roof, price certainly is a factor. However, it’s not the only factor. Subpar work is substantially more expensive in the long run and reduces return on investment significantly (not to mention the headaches that come from roof leaks). With RAMCON, you receive a superior installation, by dedicated quality control teams (who know what to look for), and inspects each project without exception.
 

4 Common Types of Roof Insulation

Specifying insulation that extends a roof system’s performance life is essential, but it is only one factor building owners and managers must consider. When managers select roof insulation, they also must account for the building’s thermal needs, satisfy applicable energy codes, and deliver a roof assembly acceptable to your facility’s insurance carrier.

To perform successfully, insulation has to become an integral part of the roof assembly and must function in concert with the membrane and the structural deck. Wise insulation choices result in successful roof systems that perform over the long term, while poor choices can be detrimental to roof performance. We can help you select the best option for your needs. Below, we discuss the 4 typical types of roof insulation.

Insulation Types 
A variety of rigid insulation types are available to you, including wood fiber, perlite, polyisocyanurate, expanded or extruded polystyrene, cellular glass, and gypsum board.

Wood fiber is an organic insulation board composed of wood, cane, or vegetable fibers mixed with fillers and binders. The insulation can be asphalt impregnated or asphalt coated to enhance moisture resistance. You may want to consider uncoated insulation in applications where the selected roof covering is incompatible with asphalt-based coatings.

Perlite insulation board is composed of inorganic, expanded siliceous volcanic glass (perlite) combined with organic fibers and binders. The top surface of the insulation board features an asphalt coating or a proprietary coating formulated to limit adhesive — asphalt — absorption into the insulation during the roof-membrane application.

Polyisocyanurate is a closed-cell foam plastic insulating core sandwiched between organic or inorganic felt facers, glass-fiber mat facers, or glass-fiber-reinforced aluminum foil facers. A blowing agent expands the foam material, creating the closed-cell structure that gives the insulation its high thermal resistance. Polyisocyanurate’s insulating efficiency remains higher than other rigid insulation.

Gypsum Board is a non-structural, non-combustible, water-resistant, treated gypsum core panel. The board is available with a proprietary, non-asphaltic coating on one side to enhance roof-membrane adhesion. Gypsum board typically is used as a cover board over foam-plastic insulations, as a thermal barrier over a steel deck, or as a vapor-retarder substrate.

Overview
There are numerous ways of increasing thermal resistance with insulation, which offers you the opportunity to save thousands of dollars in operating costs. On your next project, we’ll work with you to find the solution that fits both your needs and budget. We’ll develop solutions to maximize rebates and R-Values while meeting necessary building codes.

Should You Remove the Old Roof?

If it has been decided that it is time to replace an existing roof, one of the most important issues you must address is whether or not to remove the existing roof. When you install a new roof over an existing one you can certainly save money because you do not have to pay to remove the old roof. In fact, the cost to remove it can be substantial. Owners are justifiably eager to save the money if they can.

It’s All About Moisture
Generally, the reason you replace a roof is because it has been leaking (which may seem obvious, but it isn’t always the reason). When a roof leaks, not all the water that actually goes through the top surface of the roof comes out on the inside of the building. Some gets trapped within the roof assembly. The amount that is trapped can vary. We have seen entire roof areas full of water and no water leaking inside a building at all and we have seen roofs leak and leak and leak without leaving a trace of water behind in the roof or insulation. Assuming there is trapped water, is it a problem? It can be and it often is.

If water gets trapped in the roof’s insulation layer, there are several problems that can occur. First, the insulation will normally lose insulating properties and you will certainly waste energy. Secondly, the insulation will tend to hold the water against the roof deck and, if it is metal, can cause it to rust. If unchecked the deck can rust away under a roof and create an unsafe condition and/or cause a new roof to fail prematurely. Also, trapped water can migrate from the original roof up into the new roof system, damaging it from below.

Finally, even if the deck does not rust, fasteners that hold either the insulation or roof in place are also susceptible to rusting because many of the insulation products used in roofs release mild acids when they get wet. If the fasteners rust off and become loose, they can puncture a roof from the bottom side or make it more susceptible to wind damage which is not good. Florida Building Code requires us to remove existing wet material, but it is imperative that you make a determination about the presence and extent of trapped moisture because it can have a huge impact on the installed cost of a new roof. If you have a failure on a warrantied roof and the manufacturer determines that the roof failed because the original roof was wet, your warranty will likely not be worth the paper it’s written on.

Core sampling the existing roof can often help identify wet areas, but it is not always a sufficiently accurate method for determining moisture content either. Often Thermal Infrared scanning is done and this can be a highly accurate method if the existing conditions allow for our thermal cameras. At RAMCON, we do both for you at our expense!

Other Factors
You may also decide to remove the existing roof because of structural concerns about adding additional weight or because the existing roof does not provide a suitable substrate for the new type of roof you have selected.

If the building has been previously reroofed, which is common on older buildings, often there are already two roofs in place. If this is the case, Florida Building Code requires that you remove the systems down to the deck. Plus, if two roofs are already in place all of the issues previously mentioned concerning weight, energy efficiency, and trapped moisture apply double.

Roofing Trends: Roofs and Energy

As we head into the next decade, the biggest trends in the roofing industry—which are inherently connected to the direction of the entire construction industry—are related to energy efficiency and sustainability. This push towards energy efficiency begins with a well-insulated facility.

Over the past decade, higher and higher levels of insulation have been mandated with each subsequent edition of building and energy codes. The result is an increased thickness of overall roof insulation, which certainly is beneficial to a building’s energy efficiency.

Testing One, Two, Three
Roof systems are required by building codes to have minimum fire and wind resistance appropriate for the building type and location. Testing agencies, like Underwriters Laboratories and FM Approvals, perform fire and wind resistance tests and classify roof systems.

So how does this impact the energy efficiency trend? In order to achieve the maximum insulating benefit from roof systems, it is best to use at least two layers of insulation and stagger the board joints. This approach provides a more stable substrate for the roof membrane and minimizes the likelihood of unwanted air movement within a roof system.

A single layer of roof insulation means there is a high possibility of air movement from the deck to the underside of the membrane. And because air movement accounts for a significant portion of a building’s heat loss; staggered board joints are quite beneficial to the overall R-value of a roof system.

Proper design and installation of a roof system’s insulation layer are critical to the accuracy of the energy modeling of a building. If you assume a roof system has a design R-value of 30 but the insulation board joints align vertically and mechanical fasteners are used to secure the entire thickness of insulation, this could present a problem.

Studies have shown that this configuration can create a loss of R-value of over 15%. In fact, the in place R-value would be closer to R-25.

Reflected Energy
White and light colored, highly reflective roof surfaces also are trending up and have been for some time, mostly in the form of TPO and PVC single-ply systems. However, there are also reflective BUR cap sheets that provide similar reflectance. The benefit of roof surface reflectivity should be looked at from two perspectives: the specific building’s energy savings and the overall environment by reducing the ‘urban heat island’ effect.

Low rise buildings with large roof areas (relative to the entire building envelope) are likely to be more energy efficient during periods of air conditioning operation when a highly reflective roof surface is used to reduce solar gain into the building. On the other hand, a highly reflective roof will reflect the sun’s heat energy, subsequently reducing rooftop temperatures. This is overall beneficial for the environment regardless of building size, proportions, and location. Understanding the different perspectives about the benefits of using a reflective roof surface is important when determining if a building will or will not glean reduced energy consumption.

4 Common Types of Roof Insulation

Specifying insulation that extends a roof system’s performance life is essential, but it is only one factor building owners and managers must consider. When managers select roof insulation, they also must account for the building’s thermal needs, satisfy applicable energy codes, and deliver a roof assembly acceptable to your facility’s insurance carrier.

To perform successfully, insulation has to become an integral part of the roof assembly and must function in concert with the membrane and the structural deck. Wise insulation choices result in successful roof systems that perform over the long term, while poor choices can be detrimental to roof performance. We can help you select the best option for your needs. Below, we discuss the 4 typical types of roof insulation.

Insulation Types
A variety of rigid insulation types are available to you, including wood fiber, perlite, polyisocyanurate, expanded or extruded polystyrene, cellular glass, and gypsum board.

Wood fiber is an organic insulation board composed of wood, cane, or vegetable fibers mixed with fillers and binders. The insulation can be asphalt impregnated or asphalt coated to enhance moisture resistance. You may want to consider uncoated insulation in applications where the selected roof covering is incompatible with asphalt-based coatings.

Perlite insulation board is composed of inorganic, expanded siliceous volcanic glass (perlite) combined with organic fibers and binders. The top surface of the insulation board features an asphalt coating or a proprietary coating formulated to limit adhesive — asphalt — absorption into the insulation during the roof-membrane application.

Polyisocyanurate is a closed-cell foam plastic insulating core sandwiched between organic or inorganic felt facers, glass-fiber mat facers, or glass-fiber-reinforced aluminum foil facers. A blowing agent expands the foam material, creating the closed-cell structure that gives the insulation its high thermal resistance. Polyisocyanurate’s insulating efficiency remains higher than other rigid insulation.

Gypsum Board is a non-structural, non-combustible, water-resistant, treated gypsum core panel. The board is available with a proprietary, non-asphaltic coating on one side to enhance roof-membrane adhesion. Gypsum board typically is used as a cover board over foam-plastic insulations, as a thermal barrier over a steel deck, or as a vapor-retarder substrate.

Overview
There are numerous ways of increasing thermal resistance with insulation, which offers you the opportunity to save thousands of dollars in operating costs. On your next project, we’ll work with you to find the solution that fits both your needs and budget. We’ll develop solutions to maximize rebates and R-Values while meeting necessary building codes.