Consequently the article concludes that the concept of venting a flat roof is no longer safe and instead don t vent the flat roof and install a smart vapor retarder inboard.
Flat roof non venting methods.
In order for an un vented roof assembly to function properly the following conditions must be in place.
For cold flat roofs the vapour layer needs to be positioned underneath the insulation layer on top of the room below to create an effective barrier.
Flat and low slope roof designs to avoid moisture condensation problems flat roofs call up a whole new breed of building moisture problems how to avoid moisture traps under flat roofs avoid mold rot caused by moisture trapped under un vented flat roofs questions answers about the cause cure prevention of moisture problems in flat roofs and similarly hard to ventilate structures.
The article notes that the ventilation cannot overcome the significant humidity drive into the flat roof structure caused by small air leaks.
The range of materials includes an elastomeric paint large polyvinyl chloride pvc sheets with heat sealed seams an asbestos film shield or even a thin layer of solar panels that will collect solar energy.
Basically the term cold roof refers to a traditional roof or vented roof while hot roof refers to a roof that is not ventilated and which has foam insulation attached directly to the roof sheathing.
The intent of roof venting varies depending on climate but it is the same if you re venting the entire attic or if you re venting only the roof deck.
Unvented roofs which provides a detailed explanation of each.
On a warm flat roof the layer is installed underneath the insulation to stop moisture interacting with it through rising thermal pressure lower down in the building.
In this case you can learn a lot from foam tech s article vented vs.