Roofing Controversy

TPO. I don't know anything much about it. It does sound like a Big Box Roofer Product, i.e. Lots of squares, put down cheap.

Does it last 15 yrs? How many formulations of it so far?

Ahaa... I just couldn't figure out what my hair had to do with anything. LOL

The AL job was product called Fibertite. Often classified a PVC, but it's mostly KEE.

The point MikeH, just being funny, you know, the rivaly continues M GO BLUE.

What does "applied right" have to do with..... " :)

What was that roof you put on in Southern Ala. a few months ago? Tpo, Pvc, Epdm?

My point, uncombed, lol, was that regardless of the system it should last at least as long as its mfg'er warranty. we've all seen other products fail much sooner than their time, unrelated to labor. True, 45 mil tpo is shit, but 60 and 80 mil stock to stand the test of time. But hey, they are relatively new compared to other products.

Rockydog Said: Comb your hair and u might be able to cover it.

I don't understand????

U got a point there, MikeH. Comb your hair and u might be able to cover it. Your friendly M GO BLUE buddy.I wish I could add color :)

Rockydog Said: Actually if applied right, just like any other roof, it should last at least as long as the mfger warrants it.

Someone must have forgot to tell that to the manufacturers of 4 I've seen replaced..... under the Mfr's warranty. There were no "installation errors".

Seriously, what does total surface deterioration, mass spiderweb cracking, U breakdown, and seam splits due to dimenstional instability have to do with "applied right"?

Temporary Plastic Overlay :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: That's what hot, torch, pvc and other lowslope roofers call it. Actually if applied right, just like any other roof, it should last at least as long as the mfg'er warrants it.

I turned down a 100sq school project this week largely because of this thread. I've only installed a few TPO roofs so I'm still unsure of our work in the long run as they are less than two years old.

The GC for the school contract specified a 20 year leak free guarantee for the 60mil TPO. I said no thanks buddy.

Amen, Don't want....BUR works! But the slight mention of it these days, and you'll likely get tar'n feathered! :laugh:

From what I understand from a seminar I attended a few months ago, it appears that the TPO industry is still unsure about performance because of temperature. Like most everything, product performance is not as good when it operates in hotter temperatures. Just ask the folks in Florida. Anyway, the assumption was that the SRI 78 reflective product (LEED, Green Roof Council Energy Star products) could perform/function better because of lower temperatures (white reflective surface). However, they failed to account for the reflective power of sunlight when it reflects downward from walls and curb flashings. The concentrated power of the sun has caused a number of premature issues that apparently the industry as a whole cannot get a grip on. I have seen vertical vinyl siding adjacent to a TPO roof melt due to the reflected energy. What is the heat gain on a vertical wall surface of any kind? Does it really help save energy or cause failure to other elements?

Anyway, as MikeH has indicated, there is a history of problems with TPO that eerily seems to be close to rivaling the infancy problems of unreinforced PVC membranes (Trocal and the like). Strangely, GAF offers a 35 year warranty on a new product they released a short time ago. Go figure. I think this is another example of the crazy rush to try and corner a market because the government said it was so (such as LEED). Don't get me wrong, but why is the government telling me I can get tax credits to have a white reflective roof when I live North of the Mason-Dixon line where my heating degree days are more than my cooling days? If I lived North, a non-reflective roof surface offers me more cost savings on my energy bills than a white membrane does. But that is probably another thread!

To me, the bottom line issue is that it appears that the whole TPO industry is not firm in being able to actually predict the performance of their product. There is just not enough of a "good history" to hang your hat on. But that is just my opinion. What ever happened to the basis of all roofing knowledge that a properly designed and installed commercial roof system should have a projected 20 year performance cycle? Oh it's still out there.....Built-up Baby, 100+ years strong!

We've installed it spordically over the past 12-15 yrs....We do so little commercial/flat anymore and the fact it's relatively quick and simple to train; It's the standard we use now. Now, if we were to get into substantial commercial/flat, that would be another story....Haven't ever experienced any "issues". However,I tend to agree w/Mike.

60 mil might last a little longer than 15 years. 45 mil was the savior of the roofing world for a while, and that didn't work so well. I think most mfr's require 60 mil for a 15 yr warranty anymore, but I sell so hard AGAINST The Pink Oranges, that I'm not completely up to spec on it right now. Of what I've used in the past couple years, I would probably choose Manville as a "best of class", but time will tell.

I've taken the training and passed. Never applied it other than test projects in the shop to practice welding.

So this means a lot of work in the near future as its being put on everywhere around here! :laugh: :woohoo:

4 generations, so far that I know of. Will it last 15 years? It hasn't yet.