PVC Roofing
January 26th, 2011 ›
Early PVC roofing products in US were unreinforced, which often created system-wide material shattering, due to cold temperatures. Most notorious case of PVC failures is the Trocal PVC roofing, which would take a “glass-like” state in extremely cold temperature and could shatter on impact, leaving the roof virtually unprotected. Trocal is no longer in business, and the industry quickly switched from unreinforced PVC membranes to reinforcing scrim, which is usually made of polyester. Virtually all PVC roofs today are reinforced, with the only exception for flashing membrane, used around pipe penetrations, curb flashings, and for inside / outside corner flashing.
Most common thickness of PVC roofing is 45/50-mil, 60-mil and 80-mil membranes. 80-mil PVC membrane usually lasts the longest and carries the longest warranty – normally 20 0r 25 years manufacturer’s material warranty.
Most PVC roofs last on average 20+ years without any leaks, and remain weldable past their expected service life, so it is very easy to repair such roof in case of a leak. A simple surface cleaning with MEK solution and a patch welding is all that is required to fix a PVC roof.