Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) Roofing
A quality Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) roof system will offer many benefits, including cool roof properties that help reduce the load on HVAC equipment, reduce temperatures in interior unconditioned spaces, and a robust weathering package that can withstand over 60 days at 275 degrees Fahrenheit without cracking or showing signs of material failure.
Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) is the fastest-growing segment in the commercial roofing industry. To get the true benefits of TPO roofing, it’s important that you work with an experienced contractor that only uses the highest-quality TPO roofing
material. A good way to do this is to choose a supplier that has been manufacturing TPO roofs for at least ten years.
Whitco Roofing works with all of the top-tier TPO roof manufacturers, including Carlisle-Syntec, Firestone, GAF, Johns Manville and others. These industry-leading manufacturers have decades of experience developing the most dependable single-ply products available.
Roofing Excellence
Whitco Roofing is proud to be among the elite commercial roofing contractors who are recognized as the top five percent of applicators in North America. Whitco is among the select few Carlisle ESP (Excellence in Single Ply) industrial roof applicators. This designation is only issued to an elite group of contractors who consistently exceed Carlisle’s performance and workmanship standards. Whitco is also a multi-year recipient of the Carlisle SynTec Perfection Award — which honors contractors whose exceptional installation quality results in a warranty claim performance that ranks in the top five percent of all North American applicators.
Whitco was the only contractor in Georgia to receive both the Carlisle Perfection Award and ESP Award in 2015.
Things to Consider
When investing in a TPO roof system, it’s important to take the following things into consideration.
Experience and Innovation
Make sure that your TPO roof membrane is manufactured by a roofing company with at least 10-years of TPO roof manufacturing experience. Ensure the product’s manufacturer has a verifiable warranty reserve and history of providing superior roofing products and service.
Smooth Surface
A smooth surface is the best way to maintain high reflectivity values, so stick to TPO roof systems that offer the best protection against dirt and debris.
The TPO roofing material that Whitco uses has a smooth top surface designed to resist dirt, debris, mildew and bacteria build up. This gives you a cleaner, more solar-reflective membrane throughout the life cycle of your roof. It is backed with an industry leading reflectivity warranty, which ensures the roof membrane will maintain ENERGY STAR-rated reflectivity standards for a minimum of 10 years — assuming the roof is properly maintained.
Diversity and Versatility
Some manufactures offer TPO roofs in limited thickness, width and color. This condensed product offering restricts your ability to get the perfect TPO membrane for your roofing project. It’s important to have a wide range of diversity and versatility, because no two roofing projects are ever the same.
The TPO roof membranes installed by Whitco are available in a wide range of thicknesses, widths, lengths, and colors. This allows us to get a custom, tailored fit for your roofing project.
TPO Membrane Seam Strength
A strong seam is a vital part of any TPO roofing system. Having a strong seam means better wind uplift performance and fewer leaks and callbacks.
Independent tests conducted using ASTM methods consistently show that the TPO membrane used by Whitco roofing exhibits far stronger membrane seams than competing products.
Thickness over Scrim
The top ply of your roof’s TPO membrane is the first and best defense your building has against harmful solar UV and weather, Thicker is better, as thickness leads to greater weathering resistance, and protection against solar UV. Be certain your next TPO roof system features an optimal thickness over scrim.
The TPO roofing membrane used by Whitco features a typical thickness over scrim of 23 mils. That’s 11 mils over the required ASTM minimum. Many other TPO roof membranes narrowly exceed ASTM’s minimum thickness over scrim requirement, which could mean a thinner top ply and less overall protection for your roof.
Cool Roof Properties
To maximize the energy efficiency of your roof, require that the TPO material installed on your building meets the initial and three-year ENERGY STAR requirements. In many municipalities, incentives and rebates are available for buildings featuring ENERGY STAR-rated roofs. Ask a Whitco roofing professional for more information about ENERGY STAR-related rebates in a particular location.
Weathering Package
Ensure that your TPO roofing system can withstand the highest temperatures and UV exposures by investing in a membrane that can withstand over 60 days at 275 degrees Fahrenheit, without cracking or showing signs of material failure.
The TPO membrane Whitco installs is enhanced with a weathering package tested to the highest standards in the roofing industry.
TPO Membrane Weldability
Improper welds are the most common and costly mistakes made on a TPO roofing system. Sheets with a narrow window of weldability can lead to improper welds, which can result to leaks in your roofing system.
The TPO roof membranes used by Whitco can be welded at the widest temperature and humidity ranges without having to modify welder settings to compensate for changing climatic conditions. This leads to greater productivity and more reliable seams.
Warranties
Be sure that the company providing your TPO roof warranty has a well-funded warranty reserve and “No Dollar Limit” total systems warranties.
With Whitco, you can rest assured that your building will have outstanding warranty protection. Whitco partners with top tier manufacturers, like Carlisle, Firestone, GAF, Johns Manville and others. These manufacturers provide total system warranties and carry some of the largest warranty reserves in the industry. As publicly traded companies, these manufacturer’s warranty fund amounts range in the hundreds of millions of dollars each, and can be reviewed at any time. This emphasis on providing the strongest warranties available reflects Whitco’s commitment to you and the ability to address any potential roofing issue.
Ventilated Roof Systems
Ventilated roof systems utilize a series of active or passive, one-way vents positioned on the roof to stabilize a building’s negative air pressure, and reduce the effects of wind uplift on the roof membrane. Whitco is authorized to install both the 2001 Company’s Kelly system and the manufacturer-supported V2T ventilation systems. Ventilated roofs are loose-laid and utilize wind-generated negative pressure to hold the membrane in place. These roof systems also provide a beneficial “drying” component that reduces moisture beneath the roof membrane.