Low-slope commercial roofs are economical solutions to challenges faced by Florida businesses. They can provide unobstructed, wide spans and make annual maintenance by commercial roofers efficient. The one drawback of low-slope roofs: natural ventilation. With nearly imperceptible pitches, commercial roofs cannot generate convection currents within their roof decks. Ventilation fans are central components in roofing assets management.
Heat Rises
Without the electro-mechanical advantage of ventilation fans forcing air through your commercial property’s roof deck, your low-slope commercial roof will continue to bake under the Florida sun.
Infrared radiation (heat) from the intense Florida sunshine passes through your roof and spreads throughout your roof deck by heat conduction.
Add the effect of rising heat—convection—from inside your building, and your roof is toasted and broiled during daylight hours.
Damage Upon Damage
Simply counteracting the damaging effects of sunlight on your roof is a huge task. Reflective roofing materials, thick insulation, and attentive maintenance all help to prolong your roof’s life. That damage is usually accompanied by damage from inside your structure:
- Heat rises from equipment, employees, operations, and customers.
- The rising heat is trapped at your roof deck, unable to exit your structure.
- If moisture is in the rising hot air, you risk mold, mildew, musty smells, and sick employees.
- The damaging heat degrades your roof deck and ceilings and forces your air cooling and air conditioning systems to work harder.
- Your plant’s HVAC systems work longer, turn on more often, and require increased repair as they work to overcome the trapped hot air.
No low-slope roofing material can long sustain the double-pronged attack of infrared heat from above and rising heat from within your building. Your low-slope roof’s lifespan can be dramatically shortened when the interior air is not ventilated.
Fresh Air
Some commercial property managers assume that the hot, sticky air they feel at ground level is the same as the air inside their unventilated buildings. Typically this is not the case since hot air rises and hot air holds more moisture than cool air. So, your commercial or industrial building can have tolerable air quality at floor level, but near the roof deck, the temperatures could be much higher. The humidity could be drastically greater.
The solution to that trapped, hot, moist air is proper ventilation through the roof. Commercial roof ventilation fans can force convection currents to allow the hot air to leave your building. Cooler, dryer air enters at ground level to replace it.
Constant circulation of cooler, dryer air will increase comfort for everyone inside. It will also help your roof:
- The cooler, dryer air gathers energy and heat as it rises and then exits your building, helping to lower overall temperatures.
- The rising moist, hot air dissipates into the Florida environment, reducing the workload on your HVAC equipment.
- Moisture does not get an opportunity to collect and condense on surfaces, preventing corrosion of steel structural elements inside your roof deck.
- Mold and mildew cannot gain a foothold on warm, moist surfaces such as wooden timbers or sheathing inside your roof deck.
When commercial roof ventilation fans constantly draw hot, sticky air out of your building, your roof stays cooler and lasts longer. Thermal expansion issues are reduced, making annual inspections and maintenance visits for your low-slope commercial roof less expensive.
Money Savers
Your return on investment for the one-time costs of having commercial-grade roof ventilation fans installed will show in many ways:
- Your company will save money on reduced energy costs, as your cooling plant has less work to do and can operate less often.
- Your roof replacement costs can be deferred as your existing roof experiences less thermal shock and heat stress.
- Roof repair costs are lowered when the roof is not degraded by reflective heat from above coupled with convective and conductive heat from below.
- Damage from mold and mildew is reduced within your building, on inventory, and in equipment.
- Healthier, happier, more productive employees enjoy better quality indoor air.
Quick Fix
Compared to the costs and labor required for a complete commercial roof replacement, commercial roof ventilation fans are a quick and economical fix. Your commercial roofer can inspect, plan, and present a solution to you in short order:
- Inspect your current roof for heat-related damage.
- Determine optimal locations of ventilation fans.
- Offer choices in ventilation fans for you to select.
- Install commercial roof ventilation fans.
- Make needed repairs to the rest of your roof.
Within several working days of your initial discussions, you and your roofer can solve significant problems for your commercial property. The results will be dramatic and nearly instantaneous:
- Significantly lower temperatures at your building’s roof level
- Noticeably lower humidity levels
- Lower energy bills
Your central Florida business is fully protected when you work with Alan’s Roofing for all your commercial roofing needs. Contact Alan’s Roofing today for more information about proper ventilation for your industrial or commercial property.
