France now requiring GREEN ROOFS.

France recently joined the trend of requiring all new commercial buildings to install at least a partial "green roof" covered with vegetation, solar panels or a combination of both. These green roofs, and green walls, offer a variety of environmental and recreational benefits that have the potential to significantly improve a community's landscape.

"There are a wide range of different types of green roofs," Steven Peck, founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, said. "There are ones with parks, trees and shrubs, some that grow food, some that are designed specifically for biodiversity and some that are designed mainly for aesthetic purposes."

According to Peck, there is a long list of both public and private benefits that green roofs and green walls can offer to anyone that chooses to install them. Some of the public benefits include acting as a system of storm water management by retaining rainwater, as well as acting as an air filtration system by absorbing possible pollutants.

A major benefit of green roofs and walls that has been receiving a lot of international attention is their potential to provide increased energy efficiency in heating and cooling. Energy management is a growing concern, and green roofs may be part of the solution.

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Asphalt Emulsion/Polyester/Acrylic System.

Here is a 3 year old Asphalt Emulsion / Acrylic system. 

It is failing and leaking.  Oil and water simply do not mix!

The most common type of Roof Restoration we see in Southern California is the Asphalt Emulsion/Polyester/Acrylic System. This system starts with a layer of Asphalt Emulsion.  Emulsion is a mixture of water, oil, and bentonite clay.  

The Asphalt Emulsion is sprayed or rolled onto the roof and while still wet, a layer of polyester is then embedded into the Asphalt Emulsion.  Multiple layers can be applied as needed. The most common application is one layer. The Emulsion is then left to cure for 7-10 days. The roof is then power washed.  Followed by 2 coats of Acrylic Surfacing.  The minimum thickness of the final layer of Acrylic is required to be 20 Dry Mils to meet California's Title XXIV code.   

WATER BASED ACRYLIC SHRINKS AND PEELS

 ACRYLIC IS PAINT.

These roof systems SOUND good and often they are priced very low. Bu howt do they perform? Unfortunately, all too often the answer is not very well!   The reason is simple - Asphalt Emulsion is Oil.  Acrylic is generally speaking, a water-based paint. 

Ask any professional Painter if they would apply Water Based Paints over Oil based paints? They'll tell you - Of course not! It will not stick! It will peel......

 Roofing systems are no different. Asphalt Emulsion is OIL. When waterbased Acrylic is applied over oil, peeling is almost always the result. 

Bottom line- these systems do not hold up well on most roofs.  They are especially suscceptible to damage at waterways, valleys, and drain areas.  They are only recommended when the roof system has excellent drainage.    


 

COOL ROOING at DOE

Another video from the DOE- that explains the rationale for "COOL ROOFS".