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	Utility Savings | What to look for in a Roof System | Best Bang for the Buck Research. Starfish roofing has led the way for innovative flat roofing solutions on a wide variety of applications. From small retail buildings to roofing school districts, Starfish Roofing has done it all. We have spent countless hours researching all of the possibilities when it comes to an environmentally friendly, long lasting roofing system to sell to our customers. After researching 40+ companies' products, what we found was surprising. Asphalt roofing systems are the same basic system the Romans used 2000 years ago. The only difference is that the interplys are made of fiberglass in place of wood strips or straw. You will hear these asphalt companies telling you that the old faithful 280 ml Tar & Gravel or Modified systems will outlast the greatest hurricane force winds and that they are impenetrable from punctures and that "Those new fangled "New" single ply's are junk" and that they tear when you walk on them and that they fall apart in a short period of time. This is far from the truth. Remember, these companies have made the same products with the same machines for some over a hundred years. They have chosen not to invest in state of the art equipment or invest in what is in the best interest of their customers. They will never admit that their products are the #2 filler of landfills in the U.S. (Baby Diapers are #1), It would be like trying to get a tobacco company to say that cigarettes cause cancer. They make huge sums of money, fully aware that within a minimum of 10 -12 years you will be back for more of the same. The EPA has made it mandatory that all roofing systems be meet energy efficiency standards by 2007. Solution by big asphalt? This white coating that costs about a third more, will need to be applied every 3 years for the life of the roof. Great, not only do you get a junk roof, but to maintain it will only cost you 1/3rd again the original roof cost every 3 years for life of the roof. Making the roof cost 2 1/2 times the original cost. This is big asphalt at its finest. If you always do what you've always done, you will always get what you always got. Saving money on utilities is what matters. A "White" modified roof will reach 20 degrees hotter than outside air within 30 minutes of morning sun. But at high noon the roof top temperature can reach 155 degrees. Gravel roofs? Add 20 degrees. Strangely enough the roof top temperature actually starts to drop after noon, but outside air temperatures continue to increase until 3pm. Asphalt flat roofing systems, concrete, and other man made products heat up the ambient air temperature that actually raises our temperatures as much as 10 degrees. We also found that not one asphalt based company will warranty any part of the roof that touches an item not manufactured by them, such as the metal roof edge, pipe jacks, or vent stacks. Why? It's really quite simple. A roofing system that gets a minimum of 70 degrees hotter that outside air is going to expand with the absorbed heat and when it does the metal components will expand at a different rate and therefore pulls away from the asphalt. One must look at the small print in these asphalt warranties to find this information - but trust me it's there. (Research compiled by Starfish Roofing) Back to Top Utility Savings. If you look back in time you see that in hotter climates buildings were painted white, desert people wore white clothing and white marble was the rage of ancient times. White was not chosen for its holy implications, but because it was cooler. If you look around this city today you will find that since the invention of the air conditioner, darker colors are the rage. Most home builders install black roofs because they look elegant - regardless of the fact that they actually cost the homeowners $200 to $300 a month in additional electricity. They sell an energy efficient home with tons of insulation and foil backed plywood to offset the stupidity of a black roof and dark brick. For flat roofs it's really quite simple, an energy efficient white PVC membrane roof will never get more than a few degrees hotter than outside air. Meaning that on a 90 degree day the roof top temperature will be 91 degrees. An asphalt roof comprised of white modified will be a minimum 64 degrees hotter and would be the same as the temperature being at zero outside and the owner paying to keep the temperature at 65 hotter in the building. How much would this cost over a six month period? It is a fact that it would be more cost effective to try and keep the building within 20 degrees of outside air in place of 64 degrees difference. Companies that install Asphalt roofing systems will tell you that insulation will solve this heat problem. It follows the oil company's executives in front of congress saying "It's the rising cost of foreign oil". Fact was that they owned those oil companies also, just like the roofing manufacturers own the insulation companies. Go figure. Back to Top What to Look for in a Roof System. Of course all companies say they have the best products at the best price, but when you start asking them why their products are the better than the competitors, it really starts to get back to price. Some companies boast that their products are thicker than their competitors. What we found was that the thicker products actually contained as much as 50% to 60% of back fill materials and that the thicker they got, the less of the "White" was visible. When we asked what the purpose was for this backing, a clear answer was never given. The point seemed to switch to "Cheaper price" at that point. The correct answer was that to sell a product on its merits of performance is expensive; to sell a product on price is cheap. These thicker products are just that, cheap products. In every case when a roof product has failed it always seems to be the cheap products that have the problem. Common sense tells you that if the product is the same from top to bottom, that it should contract and expand at the same rate in heat or cold. If the product is comprised of two products to be made thicker, will the top expand at a different rate than the bottom? Absolutely. This is the same reason that paint fails on a wood structure. The paint moves at a different rate that the wood and therefore the paint cracks and peels from the wood. Is a thicker roofing system better? Or is it just thicker? Ask yourself, would you buy a tire that had good rubber on the outside that you can see, and cheap by-product "Fill" glued to the inside? How good can that tire be? Would you buy a house made from cardboard if the paint job was really great? Of course you wouldn't. That is the selling point from almost all roofing companies promoting "Cool Roofing Systems" "Thickness and Price" Vs. "Quality and Performance". Back to Top Best Bang for the Buck. We found the pinnacle of the low slope and flat roofing systems product. The Duro-last Roofing system. The Duro-last Roofing System is made from PVC. The same white pipe materials that plumbers use to plumb waterlines in your home and office. PVC has long been known for its strong properties and its imperviousness to water. It is THE ONLY roofing system that warrants a flat roof in the presence of ponding water. Once this system is installed and inspected by a Duro-last representative, carries a minimum of 15 year "No Dollar Limit" Warranty. With warranties available for up to 20 years. In the event that the roof fails, from either a factory defect or a labor installed defect, Duro-last backs the system with a 10 million dollar warranty for interior damages as well. There is absolutely no other manufacturer's warranty that even comes close, and the reason is quite simple. There are no other roofing products for a flat roofing system that come close to offering what Durolast does. Duro-Last is proud to be a charter partner of the ENERGY STAR® Roof Products Program. The ENERGY STAR label indicates to building owners and managers that the Duro-Last white membrane can save them money on cooling costs due to its high reflectivity (reflects over 86% of the sun's energy). It is not uncommon for a property to save 30% on the HVAC costs per year from these highly reflective membranes. Duro-Last is also a charter member of the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) and a member of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Duro-Last participates in all major technical committees in the roofing industry, plus the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM). Learn more at Duro-last.com Have a building with a metal roof? Starfish Roofing has the answer a Retro-fit System by Durolast. Back to Top   The above information is protected under copyright laws of the United States of America and cannot be used or duplicated without permission from Starfish Roofing or its related companies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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