Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Our Thanks to You

Our family is important here at Washington Roofing and Insulation (WRI). Balancing work life with home life a challenge in every office, but we have been blessed with people whose awareness and practice of this balance continues to drive the company forward.

We are also thankful for those who have trusted WRI for consultation and repair on their commercial building roofing and air barrier projects. These people are the reason for our success and our ability to maintain a healthy balance within the company.

So we want to show our appreciation this Thanksgiving by posting a "Thank You" to all of you who have become a part of our family as an employee, client, partner or collegue. We truly appreciate you and wish you all the best this holiday season.

Sincerely,
Chuck Carpenter
Owner, Washington Roofing and Insulation
a division of Washington Companies, Inc.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Roofing Terminology

A-component (A-side)
One component of a two-component polymer system; for polyurethane foam and coatings, the isocyanate component.

Apron Flashing

A term used for a flashing located at the juncture of the top of a sloped roof and a vertical wall, chimney or steeper-sloped roof.

Bitumen

(1) A class of amorphous, black or dark-colored, (solid, semi-solid or viscous) cementitious substances, natural or manufactured, composed principally of high-molecular-weight hydrocarbons, soluble in carbon disulfide, and found in asphalts, tars, pitches and asphaltites; (2) a generic term used to denote any material composed principally of bitumen, typically asphalt or coal tar.

Cool Roof

A roof system that uses products made of highly reflective and emissive materials for its top surface. Cool roof surfaces can remain at markedly lower temperatures when exposed to solar heat in service than surfaces of roofs constructed with traditional non-reflective roofing products.

Damp-proofing

Treatment of a surface or structure to resist the passage of water in the absence of hydrostatic pressure.

Elastomeric coating

A coating that is capable of being stretched at least twice its original length (100 percent elongation) and recovering to its original dimensions.

Emissivity

(1) Infrared emissivity is a measure of the ability of a surface to shed some of its absorbed heat (in the form of infrared radiation) away from the surface; emissivity is expressed as a percentage or a decimal factor; (2) the ratio of radiant energy emitted from a surface under measurement to that emitted from a black body (the perfect emitter and absorber) at the same temperature.

Foam stop
The roof edge treatment upon which spray polyurethane foam (SPF) is terminated.

Parapet wall

The part of a perimeter wall that extends above a roof.

Single-ply roofing

A roof system in which the principal roof covering is a single-layer flexible thermoset or thermoplastic membrane.

Spray polyurethane foam (SPF)

A foamed plastic material, formed by mixing and spraying two components, methylene diphenyl diisocynate (MDI) ("A-component") and resin containing a polyol ("B-component") to form a rigid, fully adhered, water-resistant and insulating membrane.

Thermal resistance (or R-Value)

The quantity determined by the temperature difference at steady state between two defined surfaces of a material or construction that induces a unit heat flow rate through a unit area. In English (inch•pound) units, it is expressed as F•ft2•h/Btu.
    Note 1: A thermal resistance (R) value applies to a specific thickness of a material or construction.

    Note 2: The thermal resistance (R) of a material is the reciprocal of the thermal conductance (C) of the same material (i.e., R = 1/C).

    Note 3: Thermal resistance (R) values can be added, subtracted, multiplied and divided by mathematically appropriate methods.
Source: National Roofing Contractor Association

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Flame Seal-TB

After taking an intensive training class, Washington Roofing and Insulation is proud to announce our recent certification as a qualified Flame Seal-TB applicator.


Flame Seal-TB is a waterbased, intumescent coating product that has been certified multiple times as both a Thermal and Ignition Barrier when used over a Spray Polyurethane Foam system. With very low toxicity and low VOCs, the coating qualifies for the LEED IEQ4 Credit for Low Emitting Material - Paints and Coatings.

The certification process for a LEVEL ONE applicator includes passing a detailed test and establishing a Quality Assurance and Control process within their organization.


Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Spray Foam Coalition Launches new Spray Foam Benefits Website

A press release issued last week by the American Chemistry Council announced that the Spray Foam Coalition (SFC), a new self-funded group within the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) of the American Chemistry Council, has launched a new public website, www.whysprayfoam.org to communicate the benefits of spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation and roofing.

Washington Roofing & Insulation finished product
at Pawnee Heights School District in Burdett, Kansas.
The website offers information for homeowners, builders and architects about the benefits of spray foam, the different types of spray foam products and their applications in a home or building. This new information hub can help educate those who have little-to-no familiarity with spray foam about the basics of the products, or help an experienced builder or architect access the resources to help make decisions about incorporating spray foam into a new construction or retrofit project.

Although Washington Roofing & Insulation focuses more toward commercial roofing, this new website is a good resource for people who want general information about SPF.