You want a safe home. You want a warm home. And of course, you want an energy-efficient home. Do you know what can help you achieve all of these goals? Your roof. That's right, if you call up a roofer and tell them about your desires, they can recommend some roofing repairs or materials to help you achieve those desires. They may recommend a metal roof, or they might recommend adding zinc strips to the roof peak. It all depends. One thing we can promise, though, is that learning more about roofing is a good idea. This blog is a good resource, but we recommend looking for other ones, too.
How Hot The Roof Can Get In The Summer And Ways To Manage It
The summer can be excruciatingly hot sometimes. Your commercial roof will feel this heat, just like all the other surfaces around your premise. If the surface is black, it will absorb heat, which might eventually wreck it. The damage also affects various roof colors over time. Heat damage on the roof can be sneaky because it doesn't happen overnight. Have a professional constantly check your roof's state and recommend maintenance and repairs where needed. Here is everything you need to know about how hot your room can get in the summer and how to manage it.
Differences Between Roof Types
Different roofing materials will have their unique level of heat absorption. A black roof will typically absorb more heat than most alternatives on the market. Gravel roofs take a lot of heat and will be almost as hot as black roofs. Unpainted metal might absorb less heat than a blacktop but feels hot when you touch it. On the other hand, an aluminum roof offers more heat deflection. Therefore, it will be significantly lower in temperature than other roofing materials. The best roofing material is usually the systems with thin layers of living vegetation.
The Effects of the Temperatures Inside the Building
The heat will affect the inside of your building extensively. Most of the heat the roofing material absorbs gets radiated inside. The amount of heat transfer depends on the roof insulation quality you chose during the roof installation process. You can minimize the heat inside the building by repainting the roof surface. For example, repainting the roof white or silver increases refraction and lessens the amount of heat getting inside and damaging the building's interiors. Speak to a competent contractor and apply this technique, which could also help lower your cooling costs.
Changing the Roof to Cool It
With time, you might have to think about changing the roofing material to achieve long-term cooling. For example, if you have a black built-up roof (BUR) roof, there is little maintenance you can perform to cool down the interior. The long-term solution would be looking for an alternative roof system like an aluminum roof or a green roof. You could also explore new technologies like solar roofs and shingles, which absorb the heat and turn it into electricity.
The effects of summer on your roof become apparent with time, especially if you aren't keen on maintenance. However, commercial roofing experts can help you determine whether it is time to repair or replace the material for a cooler building.
Contact a roofing company, such as Gator Metal Roofing, to learn more.