The Importance of a Cool Roof

Energy-efficient, cool roofing systems can significantly reduce roof temperatures during the summer, which does in fact improve the performance of the photovoltaic system.  Another benefit of a cool roof is that it can significantly enhance the performance of solar panels by lowering a building’s interior temperature, thus reducing the power load necessary for air conditioning during hot summer days. This has many benefits including cutting energy costs by keeping attics and ducts cooler, improving occupant comfort, cutting maintenance costs, increasing the life cycle of the roof, and reducing urban heat islands along with associated smog.

Get Ready for Spring!!

Outdoor Maintenance

·         Clean gutters and downspouts and make sure they are directing water away from the house.

·         Cut back tree limbs and shrubs growing within five feet of the house or that are brushing up against the roof. You will create better ventilation, help dry out surfaces and prevent possible damage.

·         Check for and repair cracks in driveway/sidewalk. Spring is the best time to seal cracks in the driveway or any other concrete.

·         Pressure wash your deck/patio and bring outdoor furniture out of storage.  Make sure to wipe down each piece thoroughly prior to placing on a freshly-washed surface.

·         Check garden hoses for dry rot and inspect hose faucets for possible freeze damage that may have occurred during the winter months.

·         Clean/condition your outdoor grill by first rinsing all outside surfaces with water.  If grease has loosened on the grill grates and inside of the grill, wipe off using grill cleaner and paper towels. Follow by washing with a mild detergent and water. Rinse well and wipe dry.

·         Check for possible damage to the roof.  Look for missing, cracked or broken shingles and make note of any needed repairs.

Features of Heat Reflective Roof Paint

• By keeping the building cool, it cuts the cost of air conditioning upto 40%
• Blocks ultraviolet rays up to 85% and solar infrared rays up to 90%
• Protects the roof from fungus and moulds formation
• Eliminates the formation of cracks

White Roofs

Can light-colored rooftops and roads really curb carbon emissions and combat global climate change? The idea has been around for years, but now, a new study by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory that is the first to use a global model to study the question has found that implementing cool roofs and cool pavements in cities around the world can not only help cities stay cooler, they can also cool the world, with the potential of cancelling the heating effect of up to two years of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions.       

Because white roofs reflect far more of the sun’s heat than black ones, buildings with white roofs will stay cooler. If the building is air conditioned, less air conditioning will be required, thus saving energy. Even if there is no air conditioning, the heat absorbed by a black roof both heats the space below, making the space less comfortable, and is also carried into the city air by wind raising the ambient temperature in what is known as the urban heat island effect. Additionally, there’s a third, less familiar way in which a black roof heats the world: it radiates energy directly into the atmosphere, which is then absorbed by the nearest clouds and ends up trapped by the greenhouse effect, contributing to global warming.

What is Roof Coating?

A roof coat­ing is an added layer of pro­tec­tion posi­tioned on a com­pleted roof. Car­ry­ing out as a way of enhanc­ing the roof’s capa­bil­ity to con­tinue unharmed from rain, hail, wind and sun­light, roof coat­ing is fre­quently in the form of a thin mem­brane that seals the mate­ri­als used to make the roof, suc­cess­fully estab­lish a bar­rier among the ele­ments and the actual roof. When applied appro­pri­ately, a roof coat­ing can add value to the life of just about any type of roof.

What are the types of roof coating?

The major­ity of the pop­u­la­tion is well aware about the essen­tial fact that roofs are rea­son­ably exclu­sive part of their house and need appro­pri­ate care. Though, their main­te­nance is fairly costly as they have a propen­sity to spend huge money even for a lit­tle kind of repair work, that’s why peo­ple have a first choice to pro­tect them cor­rectly. They are avail­able in dif­fer­ent vari­eties that range from reflec­tive to water­proof and so on: 

Waterproof coating

As the name says– this type of spe­cific coat­ing pro­vides a layer of water-​resistant and makes the roof water­tight. If there is any escape found on the top, then a water­proof layer helps to mend that leak and make the roof flaw­less. 

Asphalt coating

This is the type, which helps the roof to aban­don water and repel the effects of being exposed to weather con­di­tions. It also helps to ward off the effects of atmos­phere. 

White covering

White coat­ings are favoured as they are reflec­tive in nature and tend to steady decrease in the house tem­per­a­ture. In that way, they are bring­ing down the cool­ing cost that may have oth­er­wise occurred. Even though lots of peo­ple stay away from white col­oured cov­er­ing as they are prone to dust but it is sim­ple to power wash the unclean areas. A sec­ond layer of white paint prob­a­bly will help you to pre­serve the pol­ish of the cov­er­ing for extended time.

Elastomeric Roof Repair Covering

The durability of corporate and housing buildings depends on the roofing supplies selected. Elastomeric roof repair covering is a beneficial way to coat or recoat a roof, to give it a lengthier life. This type of material is also used on external walls of brickwork or concrete and exterior insulation finishing systems, as well as being a superior roof material.

Elastomeric coatings have several unique properties that allow them to be a good choice when you need elasticity and elongation.

Elastomeric Roof Coating

Acrylic roof coating is beneficial to commercial and housing buildings in more ways than one. The white finish creates a cool roof, which replicates sunlight and makes the building more energy-efficient. It also protects your roof from harmful weather elements. As they age, these coatings may become dirty and lose reflectivity. Select one that is dirt-resistant.

Elastomeric roof varnish is also used in exterior insulation finishing systems, in the form of finish coats with a flexible texture. These coatings are beneficial because their soft polymers allow better penetration and sealing of cracks. Since they have good elongation and the ability to bridge cracks, they maintain a continuous membrane even where movement is involved.

The insulating properties of ThermaCote

Ceramic coating addresses all three modes of heat transfer:

o Radiation – it repels radiated heat;

o Convection – it reflects convected heat;

o Conduction – it resists conducted heat.

 Ceramics are most effective at reflecting heat back to the source:

o Ultra Violet (UV) heat (3% of heat);

o Visual Light (short wave) heat (40% of heat);

o Infrared (long wave) heat (57% of heat).

ThermaCote’s ceramic qualities continue to work AFTER the coating gets dirty, which is what happens to all coatings eventually:

o A warranty plan is recommended.

Winterizing Your Roof

Your roof was designed with only one purpose in mind: to keep the elements from getting in your home. Along with its walls, the people inside your home depend on your ceiling to provide them with shelter. More than any other season, winter will put that roof of yours to the test. If you want to make it through winter without worrying about the cold, you need to put elastomeric roof coatings. Keep reading to find out what that entails and what your options are.

Clean the Gutters

Winterizing your roof starts long before snow falls. But don’t begin before the leaves do either. Ideally, you want to get out there right between the two events so you can clean all that foliage out of your gutters. Leaves and other debris can weigh down your gutters during winter, making the snow that lands in there even worse. But the real problem comes when that snow melts, turns to water and has nowhere to go because their exit is blocked. All that weight could be enough to tear the gutters from your home.

Heat Reflective Paints Really Works!!

Heat Reflective Paints work by reflecting the suns energy, keeping the roof surface cool. Unlike traditional insulation that is used inside, that attempt to hold out the heat from the already super heated roof surface.

It is known that Heat Reflective Paints consist of Titainium Dioxide and co-polymer compounds containing naturally occurring Cio2 high opacity pigments that reflect radiant heat.  All of these products available are user friendly water based acrylics.

There is a full range of big brand Heat Reflective Coloured Paints available on line at CoolPaints.com.au.  Not all these products are the same, nor are they manufactured in the same place or by the same company. Heat Reflective Coatings (Aust) Pty Ltd has researched the market carefully and chosen what are believed to be the three best Australian products. Each manufacturer has a small colour range, and combined we bring you a total of 60 colour choices available here on line at Cool Paints.

Each manufacturer has developed a unique method of providing solar reflectivity for both residential and commercial roofing. The methods are predominantly different between them, and the details of ingredients are all classified trade secrets.  So when choosing a heat reflective paint supplier, research the supplier claims and their history; most importantly the warranty. It helps especially when you are looking for a energy efficient builders. All products at Cool Paints have a minimum 10 year warrantee, and guarantee up to 80% of reflectivity and gloss after 10 years! You can read detailed descriptions of the manufacturers and their products when you obtain a quote online, or let us help on your eco building.