Tpo Roofs Failing

The latest formulations of tpo membranes have relatively few years of real world exposure so their resistance to heat uv and general weathering is still unknown.

Tpo roofs failing.

Now some manufacturers are on their 3rd generation or major reformulation of their tpo products. Thus for an average sized 1 200 sq. Ib pvc is by far a much better product than genflex tpo. The reason why tpo roofs cost more is you must use peel stick flashing and primer glue for all penetration flashings and for drip edge cover tape.

Prior to 2014 all epdm rubber roofs have failed prematurely due to the break down of liquid adhesives used to bond seams. Tpo is a type of membrane roofing suitable for flat and low slope roofs. A typical residential tpo roof will cost between 6 50 and 11 50 per sq. Have tpo roofs been failing.

Now here is the subjective part. If you ve seen a bright white roof then you may be familiar with tpo roofing. As mentioned previously in the history of tpo s section early generations of tpo membranes had many performance issues which led to changes in their formulations. Poor design for example can lead to splits and debris can cause punctures.

With pvc all flashings and cover tape are heat welded. 1st generation of tpo roofs began to fail in the late 1990 s and early 2000 s. Epdm rubber roofs fail prematurely. Each type of failure blisters splits and punctures to name a few typically results from a specific cause.

As one of the most common roof types of big commercial facilities tpo has some of the best energy savings for single ply membrane roofing. What is a tpo roof. The name is a bit misleading because rather than being a plastic tpo is actually one of a few different types of rubber usually a blend of polypropylene and ethylene propylene rubber. This single ply rubber roofing system is predominately used on commercial flat roofs but have failed to reach the life expectancy promised in the manufacturer s warranty.

If you are looking to install a single ply roofing membrane that will be energy efficient and are evaluating your options consider tpo thermoplastic olefin roofing. The way a roof wears the bumps and wrinkles it bears can show a lot about why it is failing. In it s fairly short life about 15 16 years tpo went through at least 2 generations. Roofing calculator in the building trades the acronym tpo stands for thermoplastic polyolefin a material originally developed for pond liners and used extensively for roofing since 1989.

Tpo stands for thermoplastic polyolefin a single ply roofing membrane that covers the surface of the roof. In this article we cover everything you need to know about tpo roofing. Tpo is touted to have the benefits of two of its direct competitors epdm and pvc roofs but without the drawbacks and extra costs.