 | Easy-to-install Cooley C3 mobile home roof-over is attractive, lightweight and maintenance-free, eliminating "roof rumble," while greatly improving energy-efficiency. |
In sunny Florida, the popularity of mobile homes is high. Also high are the temperatures on roofing surfaces of those mobile homes, which can lead to early roof failures.
The need for increased protection from the sun is not lost on Florida roofing contractor Bob Mays of Comfort Cover System, Inc. in Largo, whose patented roofing system has been used in Florida since the mid 1980s, not only on mobile homes, but also on similar structures such as aluminum room additions and low-slope gravel roofs on conventional homes.
Mays first worked on methods of insulating mobile home roofs in 1978, while employed by an insulation company. "We eventually found that the best and quickest way of insulating these roofs was to install a layer of insulation over the current roof, and then cover that with a single-ply membrane," he reports. In 1985, Mays received a patent on his system, consisting basically of a single-ply membrane mechanically fastened over rigid, foil-faced insulation board, and finished around the edges by a termination bar.
Mays found that the durable Cooley "C3" membrane, made with DuPont Elvaloy® KEE ketone ethylene ester, provides excellent protection and ease of application. Its reflective white color also helps reduceenergy costs. Over 250 million square feet of C3 membrane have been installed worldwide, with 10 million square feet used successfully in Florida.
"Cooley manufactures the C3 membranes in roll form," says May,. "Our shop then fabricates the membrane into custom-sized panels to fit each home.
After we install the insulation, it's merely a matter of rolling out the membrane panels, mechanically fastening them to the deck, and securing the membrane around the edges of the home using a termination bar."
The white membrane reflects 78 percent of the sun's heat-producing rays, providing immediate savings on air conditioning bills.
Reports Mays. "We've found that customers with older homes can save up to 50 percent on their energy bills over a year's time."
"I tell people that when we roof over, the roof we install is better than their original roof," says Mays. "For one thing, the galvanized steel (standard .028 in. thick) roofing on most mobile homes requires a new coating application every year or two. Using our system, this cost is eliminated."
Compared with metal roofs, an insulated, single-ply roof-over is quieter, too.
A single-ply, mechanically attached Cooley C3 system installs right over the existing roof, providing a lightweight roof cover that is well within the weight limits for manufactured homes.
"We've found the single-ply system is very easy to put down," says Mays. "We make up most components at the shop, and when we get everything ot to the site, we can complete the job in one day - maybe 5 or 6 hours. Besides saving time, which means less labor cost, we also give the customer less noise and disruption. We come in, put on their new roof, and we're gone."
"A big reason people choose to live in mobile homes is because it eliminates a lot of the care and expense of traditional homes," observes Mays. "A lot of that benefit is lost if they're constantly having to recoat their roofs and have leaks fixed. Choosing a single-ply roof-over not only cuts their energy costs, it also gives them a long-lasting, carefree, maintenance-free roof."
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