Tpo Roofing
By Gary Ng
TPO was invented by the chemical company DOW in the early 1990's. TPO means “Thermalplastic Olefin” roofing. TPO membranes are made from ethylene propylene rubber, and are a combination of rubber and hot air welded seams. They have excellent resistance to ozone, are algae-resistant, environmentally friendly and safe to install. The material is sometimes advertised as a monolithic (seamless) roof. TPO is highly tear resistant, resists impacts, and resists punctures with good flexibility to allow for building movement. TPO's are available in white, light gray, and black with thicknesses of either 45 mils (.045") or 60 mils (.060"). The width of the membrane depends on the manufacturer but they usually come in widths of six to six-and-a-half feet and are one-hundred feet in length. TPO is a fully-adhered roofing. That means the membrane is already attached to the substrate material with adhesive, thus it forms a strong chemical bond. TPO is highly heat reflective, fire resistant, and energy efficient. It also resists UV rays and dirt. TPO is also used in the automotive industry where it is known for impact resistance. This crosses over into the industry where hail damage to roofs is a common concern. Another advantage of TPO, for the Contractor and Manufacturers at least, is that there is a shift from some lower priced materials like EPDM to the higher priced TPO materials. Commercial sales reached $3.3 billion overall in 2007 with single-ply products comprising the largest segment. TPO has been taking more of that large share. As the green movement grows, TPO is becoming more and more popular, particularly because it is recyclable. Not only can it be recycled for materials,

but it can be burned as a fuel. TPO burns extremely clean with no toxic emissions when no flame retardants are present. It therefore has a high potential as a high energy fuel for waste-to-energy programs. TPO roofs are considered “cool roofs.” A cool roof can be defined in many ways by people or by different municipal codes. But basically, a cool roof reflects and emits the sun’s heat back skyward without allowing it to pass into the building or home. The more sun it reflects and emits, the cooler the roof. The Cool Roof Rating Council, CRRC, maintains an on line database of cool roof products. Some TPO roofs score high on the scale, some do not, so be advised. It may seem silly to say, but for many TPO is the way to go.
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