You are using an example of TPO roof burning down saying that PVC would not survive that fire – that may be so, but the nature of PVC roofing is such that it does not support fire, and does not burn by itself, whereas TPO does!

The video above is the fire test of IB PVC roof and a TPO roof.

As far as “half-truth”, please specify what I put incorrectly or do not tell the whole story.

Don, I understand that you, being a salesman for a TPO manufacturer, need to promote the product – it is you job. My job is to sell and install roofs – we are a contractor and have a choice of roofing materials and we choose PVC, and tell our clients that it is better (which I’m a firm believer of).

There are many ways to figure out which roofing material you have, but unless you want to become a roofing expert, it will be problematic.

I think that the best way to know which roofing material you have on your roof is to actually get a roofing contractor specializing in Single-Ply roofs to look at at. Your roof can be almost anything – PVC, TPO, white EPDM rubber or even some other type of roof with white roof coating on it.

If you can’t get a roofer there, second best option is for you to get a few pictures and email them to me – i’ll do my best to figure this situation out. Take a few close-up shots of roof penetrations (pipes), curb flashing – sky-lights / chimneys / HVAC curb or a roof hatch, some corner flashing detail and drip edge. Based on that I may give you a better idea, but it won’t be 100% accurate. My email – leo @ coolflatroof.com (no spaces).

I am wandering why you need to know the type of roof that you have. Does it leak, or it’s just so you know? What state are you in?

First of all, I tell you that PVC and TPO roofing systems are incompatible – you will not be able to weld them together. I tried it a couple of times with different systems – great unsuccess . So is EPDM rubber, which cannot be welded at all. Now it gets more interesting:

Most PVC roofs are compatible with each other, so a repair on an older PVC roof of unknown origin can be performed using a patch of IB roof. We have successfully repaired old Sarnifil roofs, a shattered Trocal roof and an older IB roof that was installed without proper drainage. Soon, I will have an article about PVC roof repair and weldability of different PVC roofing systems, on our roofing blog.

As far as TPO membranes, in theory they should be compatible with each other. However there are two major problems with this theory and welding of old TPO roofs.

First, many TPO roofs may and will not be compatible with each other due to the fact that there is no standard on how they should be manufactured and since each TPO manufacturer uses different formulation and different amount of fillers to create “thickness”, you may not be able to weld brand new TPO materials from different brands with each other. Then there are also more then 3 different generations of TPO roofing on the market today – each one was released after a major failure in the previous generations and roof owners have no way of knowing which one they have.

Second problem with TPO roofing is the aging of the membrane. Unfortunately for owners of TPO roofs, TPO membrane ages or cures prematurely – in many instances ove a period of first 5 years and becomes hard (loses flexibility) and won’t weld. This is a major problem that TPO manufacturers are trying to combat with the releases of new membrane formulation, but until they stop trying to make the product as inexpensive to manufacture as possible, at the expense of quality, they will continue to have problems, warranty issues and dissatisfied customers.

Thanks for posting your comments and concerns about “recycleability” of IB PVC roofing.

Just to let you know, IB PVC roofs are 98% Recyclable (I believe that is the right number, but even if I’m wrong, it is in the 90%+ range). IB Roofs partnered with a big, national PVC recycler which would come to a job site and pick up old roofing material and drive it to the recycling facility. The only part that cannot be recycled is the polyester scrim, but the rest of the roofing material can be recycled.

Here is a video IB made about their recycling program: Notice how clean and nice these roofs are. Also as a side note, the roof is being replaced because the Town of Harrisburg, OR, had money, which they HAD to spend that year, or they’d “loose” it. Not because IB roof was leaking or neared the end of it’s life. It was still weldable and they actually took a thickness measurement – the membrane lost only 2-mil (out of 50 nominal thickness when installed), which is only 4% over 30 years period. Some TPO roofs can loose about 2-10% of thickness in a single year.

IB PVC Roof recycling video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHNztkVFmTs

Now the actual recycling part is on the shoulders of the building owner and contractor that is removing the old roof. If they do not recycle it, there is little that IB can do. But they (IB Roofs) did their part by making the arrangements and infrastructure for it’s old roofing material to be recycled.

One thing I should also mention – in my estimation, about 95% (if not more) of all IB roofs installed in the US, are still in service and are leaks free. It will be a while until these roofs will have to be replaced / recycled, and it is a much better option than dumping an old tar and gravel roof which weights about 20 times more than IB roof, onto our landfills.

I’m not sure about the chemicals in the IB PVC roof as it is a proprietary formula and they will not disclose it for obvious reasons, but here is a collection of articles which you may refer to, about IB’s “green edge” – http://ibroof.com/knowledge_center/index.html – choose “Sustainability and Environment articles” from drop-down menu.

I hope I answered your questions and at least pointed you in the right direction.

Also you may read this article on my blog that provides additional insight into PVC and TPO roofing and it’s environmental effects – http://www.coolflatroof.com/flat-roofing-blog/single-ply-flat-roofing-systems-pvc-and-tpo/

I also recommend you read the comments that follow this article – there are some very smart people commenting and providing information I may never have known.

Check out this video of a huge TPO roof on fire – it can completely burn down in a matter of minutes, whereas IB (and other PVC roofs for that matter) are not combustible and will not burn or support fire if source of fire is removed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ND7U2U1gIYA

PS, I transfered your comment from our sitemap to a PVC / TPO article as it is more appropriate here.

Once again thanks for your interest in IB roofs and your very interesting questions – such questions always make me learn something new.

Cheers, Leo.

I like your site very much and I have learned a lot that will help me make decisions about my future building projects. I am surprised, however, that that is no information about recycling of old roof materials when they have reached the end of their life cycle or when the building is demolished. Nor is there information of toxicity or about which additives and stabilizers are used in your particular line of products. These are key pieces of information that potential customers, like myself, would be very interested to know.

Recycling schemes are being developed in Europe ( e.g.: http://www.pvc.org/Sustainability/PVC-recycling-in-Europe/The-impact-of-PVC-stabilisers-in-recycling-and-waste-disposal ), but is there any such development in North America?

IB PVC roofing system, a multi-layer compound, seems like it might be hard to recycle. Does the manufacturer or installer of this roofing system consider it their future responsibility to remove and recycle these materials into new product? Are there plans to develop recycling technology in the future?

Also, which stabilizer chemicals or metals are used? For example, does the IB PVC use cadmium or lead based heat stabilizers? Does the product contain stabilizers such as zinc, calcium, or barium?

If you could refer me to online or published resources that discuss these concerns, I would be grateful. I think that a posting on your website that educated potential customers on these issues would go a long way towards helping persuade people of the overall environmental dedication and “big picture” thinking of your company.

Such a posting, even just links to other sites, would be very helpful in promoting your company as a green company for application on building projects that take into consideration the total environmental costs of choosing your particular product over others.

Thank you for a very informative and well organized website.

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful reply.

Yours truly,
Mark Ingham