ENERGY EFFICIENT ROOF
Roof must give your house the most possible protection from all weather conditions. Modern roof is more than just a shelter; it is environmental friendly and energy efficient roof. It is important to do anything we can to protect the nature. Choosing so called green roof you can help preserve the nature.
When possible, choose recycled shingles. Classic asphalt shingles are not being recycled after use; on a contrary, they are dumped into landfills. They also contain toxic organic chemicals. When the sun heats up the shingles, the roof releases these chemicals into air. You can use recycled shingles instead. They are made of recycled material, usually industrial waste. Their life span is up to 50 years; that means you won’t have to replace them so often which saves your money.
Another type of energy efficient roof is metal roofing. Metal roofs reflect the sunlight and lower the temperature inside the house during the summer. You do not have to use air conditioners so much. That, on one hand, lowers the emission of the gases and on the other hand reduces your energy costs up to 20%.
For additional energy efficiency you can use reflective coatings. Reflective coatings divert 80% of absorbed sun energy while uncoated roofs absorb 80% of the sunlight and transfer it to your house.
Clay tiles and slate are natural energy efficient roofing materials. Clay is natural regulator of the temperature. Both clay and slate tiles can be reclaimed and recycled which makes them environmental friendly.
Due to technological progress new materials are found every day. One of the most interesting new materials is so called smart roof coating. It is made of waste cooking oil. Oil is processed into liquid polymer which hardens into plastic. Unlike the cooking oil, this smart coat does not smell. When applied on the roof surface, this intelligent material changes its characteristics depending on the temperature. When the temperature gets really high, this coat decreases the temperature inside the house and makes it cool and comfortable. During the cold weather smart coat helps to preserve the heat inside the house. Either way, it saves energy and reduces your electricity bills. Smart roof coat is nontoxic and noncombustible.
There are another two types of energy efficient roofs – green roofs and solar roofs. Both of them are made of vinyl membrane roofing. Green roofs (or live roofs) have a layer of soil which is planted with different types of vegetation. Solar roofs use solar panels which produce electricity from solar energy.
With so many modern roofing materials, it is possible to have high quality and energy efficient roof.
Posted in DIY Home Improvement | 
Asphalt Shingles, Clay Tiles, Cooking Oil, Intelligent Material, Life Span, Liquid Polymer, Metal Roofing Metal, Metal Roofs, Natural Energy, Recycled Material, Reflective Coatings, Roof Coating, Roof Surface, Roofing Materials, Slate Roofing, Slate Tiles, Smart Coat, Sun Energy, Toxic Organic Chemicals, Weather Conditions | 
Leave a commentCLAY TILE ROOF REPAIR
Clay tile roof is one of the most beautiful roofs. It is long lasting, durable and resistant to climate conditions. And its characteristic red color gives your home charming Mediterranean look. Although this type of roof is very strong, sometimes you just have to do clay tile roof repair. The reason for leakage can be broken tiles but more often the reason is damaged metal flashing or fasteners. If you are an experienced do-it-yourselfer you can do the repair; otherwise it is better to call well trained roofing contractor and have him do the job.
Before you start with repair, there are few things you should keep in mind. First of all, do not lean the ladders directly against the tile roof; clay tiles break easily. Also, avoid walking on the roof for the same reason.
Clay tile roof repair begins with removing the tile that is placed above the broken one. Use piece of wood to lift up the tile but do it very carefully; you do not want to damage more tiles. When you lift the tile, you can reach the roofing nail and remove it with pry bar. You have to break the damaged tile; use the chisel and hammer to do that. Remove the broken pieces and attach the tile clip to the roof on one end and to the replacement tile at the other end. Slide new tile in place.
If the clay tiles are not secured with nails but with mortar, you will have to crack the mortar first. Remove the cap tiles and soak the tiles few hours in the water. Mix a mortar; use one part of cement and three parts of the sand. Add some water to get stiff mixture. Using trowel spread some mortar on the tile and put it in place. Remove the excess of the mortar.
You might have troubles trying to find matching tile. If you know the type or the manufacturer, that can help you to buy the right kind. If you can’t find the exact match, you can use the tiles from the back of the roof or some other less obvious spot.
If the tile is not broken but only cracked, you can fix it easily. Just put some tile roof sealer into the crack and when it hardens the crack is sealed. You can find roof sealers in different colors; choose the one that matches the color of your clay tiles.