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Abstract
Sometimes soon after installation of a highly reflective "cool" roof, condensation is discovered. Did the cool roof cause the condensation? Most of the time the answer is, "No" but sometimes it is, "Yes". This paper explains how installation of highly reflective "cool" roofs can cause a moisture problem on roofs where it had not been a problem before. The focus will be roofs over wood decks, with insulation below, which had been accumulating relatively large amounts of moisture for years but where old non-cool roofs had helped avoid problems by heating up and facilitating drying every time the sun came out. In such cases, installation of highly reflective cool roofs, or highly reflective coatings, can inadvertently disrupt the balance between seasonal wetting and drying - causing increased moisture accumulation, condensation, and mold growth in localized areas.
Sometimes soon after installation of a highly reflective "cool" roof, condensation is discovered. Did the cool roof cause the condensation? Most of the time the answer is, "No" but sometimes it is, "Yes". This paper explains how installation of highly reflective "cool" roofs can cause a moisture problem on roofs where it had not been a problem before. The focus will be roofs over wood decks, with insulation below, which had been accumulating relatively large amounts of moisture for years but where old non-cool roofs had helped avoid problems by heating up and facilitating drying every time the sun came out. In such cases, installation of highly reflective cool roofs, or highly reflective coatings, can inadvertently disrupt the balance between seasonal wetting and drying - causing increased moisture accumulation, condensation, and mold growth in localized areas.
Date
7/2012
7/2012
Author(s)
Philip Dregger
Philip Dregger
Page(s)
64-72
64-72
Keyword(s)
cool roof; condensation; moisture; mold; reflective
cool roof; condensation; moisture; mold; reflective