Tpo Roofing Failures

Tpo is touted to have the benefits of two of its direct competitors epdm and pvc roofs but without the drawbacks and extra costs.

Tpo roofing failures.

Still tpo roofing systems are not only affordable but they tend to be durable more often than. A typical residential tpo roof will cost between 6 50 and 11 50 per sq. This means that a tpo roof is as uv resistant and as heat resistant as epdm and as heat weldable. At 1 66 per square foot generic tpo is 13 more expensive than high quality brand name pvc so the price war is lost.

Britek is a major brand name of rv tpo roofing and is also a dicor product as we show in our photo story the problem with tpo isn t the product it s the application. In 2010 there was an advisory warning from midwest roofing contractors association mrca about tpo failures and a big stink followed this advisory with several big manufacturers leaving the association and threatening to sue. Flat roof your total cost to install a new tpo roof can range from 7 800 to 13 800 depending on project specific variables contractor choice and your home s location. It s no longer a truly heat welded system but is a hybrid of welded plus glued roof.

At the end of the day it doesn t matter which mode of failure happens first cracking or weight loss failure is failure. Thus for an average sized 1 200 sq. In the building industry tpo stands for thermoplastic polyolefin a synthetic rubber compound that has been extensively used for roofing since the late 1980s. Each type of failure blisters splits and punctures to name a few typically results from a.

Now tpo is more like epdm rubber with heat welded field seams. There are improvements that have been made along the way but it may be sometime before the formula perfected. Behind many common roof problems lie errors in design materials and maintenance. Pvc s are documented to last longer than tpo membranes who are still experiencing premature failures.

And if you believe in patterns we have found that tpo failures usually occur in those brands that rv consumer group rates as two stars and lower. The way a roof wears the bumps and wrinkles it bears can show a lot about why it is failing. Tpo also lost its competitive advantage by using peel stick flashing. The data show that when either mode of failure cracking or weight loss is considered the best performing tpo membranes are by far gaf everguard extreme 60 mil and gaf everguard extreme 50 mil.

By karen warseck roofing. As noted in the chart below created from rs means data if you compare the life cycle costs of a sarnafil roof estimated to last 35 years versus a tpo roof lasting 20 years pvc is the less expensive choice. 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.