We have been "up on the roof top" now for over 35 years and have never been mistaken for Ol' St. Nick, albeit we would find it to be a complimentary identity mishap. The jolly man himself may have a bigger service area and a larger target audience but our mid-western clientele is pretty extensive with places in Texas, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa and of course, Kansas.
We have met some fantastic people along the way, and they are all pretty satisfied with their polyurethane spray foam roof systems or their air barrier systems for their commercial buildings. This last year has been quite a ride. We became Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA) accredited to install Air Barrier systems and, along with many others, are currently working with the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity House at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri.
But aside from all of that, we want to wish everyone happy holidays and the best for the 2012 new year. We are looking forward to being "up on the roof top" for many more years to come.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Types of Roof Systems
There are five generic classifications of low slope membranes or systems, with most having three principle components: Weatherproofing Layers, Reinforcement and Surfacing.
Built-Up Roof (BUR) Membranes
Commonly referred as "tar and gravel" roofs, BUR roofs are composed of alternating layers of bitumen and reinforcing fabrics to create a finished membrane. The number of plies in a cross section is the number of plies on a roof, i.e. a four ply room membrane construction is four plies.
Metal Panel Roof Systems
There is only one category of metal roof systems used in low-slop applications: structural metal panel. These can be used because of their hydrostatic (water barrier) characteristics and are designed to resist the passage of water at laps and other joints with sealant or anti capillary methods.
Polymer-Modified Bitumen Sheet Membranes
Polymer-modified bitumen or modified bitument (MB) are composed of reinforcing fabrics that serve as carriers for the hot polymer-modified bitumen as it is manufactured into a rool material. They are composed of multiple layers, much like BUR membranes, and are typically installed as a two-ply system and almost always are fully adhered.
Single-Ply Membranes
These are factory-manufactured sheet membranes generally categorized as either thermopolastic or thermoset. Thermoplastic materials, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and thermoplastic olefin (TPO) can be repeatedly softened when heated and hardened when cooled. Thermoset materials, such as ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) solidify, or "set," irreversibly after heating. Single ply membranes are referred to by their chemical acronyms, like TPO or EPDM.
Spray Polyurethane Foam-Based (SPF) Roof Systems
SPF-based roof systems are constructed by mixing and spraying a two-component liquid that forms the base of an adhered roof system. It can installed in various thicknesses to provide slope to drain or meet a specified thermal resistance (R-value). A protective surfacing is then applied to the foam to provide protection from the elements. The first component is rigid, closed cell, spray polyurethane foam insulation. The second component is the protective surfacing and is typically a spray applied elastomeric coating. This provides weatherproofing, protect the foam from UV exposure, provide protection from mechanical damage and assist with the fire-resistant characteristic of the roof system.
From the National Roofing Contractors Association website
Built-Up Roof (BUR) Membranes
Commonly referred as "tar and gravel" roofs, BUR roofs are composed of alternating layers of bitumen and reinforcing fabrics to create a finished membrane. The number of plies in a cross section is the number of plies on a roof, i.e. a four ply room membrane construction is four plies.
Metal Panel Roof Systems
There is only one category of metal roof systems used in low-slop applications: structural metal panel. These can be used because of their hydrostatic (water barrier) characteristics and are designed to resist the passage of water at laps and other joints with sealant or anti capillary methods.
Polymer-Modified Bitumen Sheet Membranes
Polymer-modified bitumen or modified bitument (MB) are composed of reinforcing fabrics that serve as carriers for the hot polymer-modified bitumen as it is manufactured into a rool material. They are composed of multiple layers, much like BUR membranes, and are typically installed as a two-ply system and almost always are fully adhered.
Single-Ply Membranes
These are factory-manufactured sheet membranes generally categorized as either thermopolastic or thermoset. Thermoplastic materials, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and thermoplastic olefin (TPO) can be repeatedly softened when heated and hardened when cooled. Thermoset materials, such as ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) solidify, or "set," irreversibly after heating. Single ply membranes are referred to by their chemical acronyms, like TPO or EPDM.
Spray Polyurethane Foam-Based (SPF) Roof Systems
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| After photo of a hospital roof with the Spray Polyurethane Foam System. |
From the National Roofing Contractors Association website
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Energy Wise Giving
It happened. The year 2011 rolled into December. If you braved through the Black Friday weekend and Cyber madness then you may have already finished your Christmas shopping. For those of us who didn't, and who still have items on the "list" for Santa, we may want to take a moment to adjust our thinking which may help save our planet.
According to the Consumer Electronics Association's (CEA) 18th Annual CE Holiday Purchase Patterns Study report, this year's holiday spending will increase with over one-third of purchases spent on electronics. It is good for the economy to see the increase in spending, and electronics have always been high on the list.
The propensity in human nature is to take the easy road, and let's admit it, cell phones, laptops, wireless printers, copiers, GPS units, garage openers and toys which interact with our children seem to make our lives easier. Bottom line, electronics are used to improve your efficiency in everyday living.
However, old and broken electronics end up in landfills and landfill usage is a monumental environmental concern. Perhaps if all of us over the next month would stop a moment before purchasing a new electronic device and ask ourselves a couple of questions, we may help decrease our own carbon footprint:
Can this be recycled and where? If it is a brand new and improved gadget or prototype, can we wait until the bugs have been worked out? (Do we hear a 'Bah Humbug?)
According to the cleanair.org waste facts website, "304 million electronics were disposed of from US Households in 2005 and two-thirds of them still worked." The website also mentioned that if we all recycled cell phones for one year, we would save enough energy to power 18,500 homes for a year.
There are many places in Kansas City that assist with recycling and some communities even have "drives" which are set up throughout the year. On recyclespot.org you can find a list of service providers near you.
Source: Green Building Elements website : Cleanair.org
According to the Consumer Electronics Association's (CEA) 18th Annual CE Holiday Purchase Patterns Study report, this year's holiday spending will increase with over one-third of purchases spent on electronics. It is good for the economy to see the increase in spending, and electronics have always been high on the list.
The propensity in human nature is to take the easy road, and let's admit it, cell phones, laptops, wireless printers, copiers, GPS units, garage openers and toys which interact with our children seem to make our lives easier. Bottom line, electronics are used to improve your efficiency in everyday living.
However, old and broken electronics end up in landfills and landfill usage is a monumental environmental concern. Perhaps if all of us over the next month would stop a moment before purchasing a new electronic device and ask ourselves a couple of questions, we may help decrease our own carbon footprint:
Can this be recycled and where? If it is a brand new and improved gadget or prototype, can we wait until the bugs have been worked out? (Do we hear a 'Bah Humbug?)
According to the cleanair.org waste facts website, "304 million electronics were disposed of from US Households in 2005 and two-thirds of them still worked." The website also mentioned that if we all recycled cell phones for one year, we would save enough energy to power 18,500 homes for a year.
There are many places in Kansas City that assist with recycling and some communities even have "drives" which are set up throughout the year. On recyclespot.org you can find a list of service providers near you.
Source: Green Building Elements website : Cleanair.org
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