The Importance of the Climate Zone Map

In order to provide the insulation material for your building, the BASF educates contractors to reference the the U.S. Department of Energy's climate zone map. The map breaks the United States up into two main areas: dry and moist, and further breaks it down into eight zones.

Each zone has specific requirements for how spray polyurethane foam should be applied. To spare you with all the technical jargon, SPF is applied differently from one zone to the next, depending upon climates.

"Both open-cell and closed-cell spray foam are air impermeable and can help to reduce energy losses and avoid condensation by increasing the airtightness of the enclosure if the enclosure is properly designed and the spray foam is properly installed. Open-cell foam is vapor permeable so care must be taken in colder climates to minimize the risk of vapor diffusion wetting of the exterior sheathing. Hybrid applications, known as “flashand- batt” or “flash-and-fill” or “combo systems” consist of spray foam against the exterior sheathing covered with a layer of fibrous insulation. Spraying foam directly against exterior foam insulation is also possible as a hybrid approach but care must be given during the foam application process." Spray Foam Guide, Building Science Corporation 2011.

As a performance-based mid-western spray polyurethane roofing and air barrier company we take understanding the reasons behind the different applications very seriously. We are committed to providing our clients with nothing less than an exception final product so continual staff education in SPF design and installation is a priority.

Roof Management Plan: Testing Your Roof for Moisture

We work with many building owners and maintenance managers who find they suddenly need to repair their building's roof and lack the funding to get it done properly. One of our clients has been working on finalizing the proposed roofing project for nearly two years. It is safe to say that a Roof Management plan for your building is important to have in place, and even though it may not guarantee funding will always be available it will provide you with solid, up-to-date evidence to provide to the proper decision makers.

In our last post we skimmed over what is considered a beginning to a good roofing management plan. In this post we will talk more about roofing inspections and how detecting moisture is determined.

There are three types of non-destructive methods for testing moisture problems which have advanced over the years to give pretty reliable results: Impedance/Capacitance, Infrared and Nuclear. However, once moisture has been determined by one of three ways is it important to undergo a core test to verify the conditions. 

Impedance/Capacitance - can be done with a hand-held meter by setting it over the roof membrane. It will determine if a specific area in the roof is wet or dry through electronic signals. This testing cannot be completed over wet or ponded areas.

Infrared - Conducted with an infrared camera used after sunset to identify temperature differences on the roof. Areas that are dry will cool off quicker than areas that hold moisture.

Nuclear - A nuclear scanning meter can test in areas of ponding water and scan up to 7 inches in depth of the roof. In the article, "Technical Details: How to Properly Determine Moisture Content in Roof Systems" author John D'Annunzio says "Testing is conducted over the entire roof area by sectioning the roof into grids . . . and recording the readings at each of these locations."

Moisture Verification: Core Cut and Test - In this process you actually drill through the entire roof and extract a core sample. After the core area is properly repaired the sample is tested to provide data of all components found in your roof. Each roof system and repair method can be identified as well as the percentage of moisture detected. Results are them provided and a plan for repair or replacement can begin.

Sources:
Article in Roofing Contractor Magazine