Hot Roof!
I live on the top floor of a 20-unit coop, and my apartment gets blazing hot during the summer months. It’s not uncommon to come home to a 95 degree room. I do have a lot of windows that get good sun in the AM, and have solar shades that seem to help out a…
I live on the top floor of a 20-unit coop, and my apartment gets blazing hot during the summer months. It’s not uncommon to come home to a 95 degree room.
I do have a lot of windows that get good sun in the AM, and have solar shades that seem to help out a little bit.
But obviously the roof is the main culprit, and wondering if there is any easy insulation solutions anyone knows about. It’s probably out of the question to do any major install, but in my dreams there’s a cheap tarp-like insulation material that can be rolled out on the existing roof, and can be easily rolled up and removed when the heat dies down in september.
Am I doomed to cook to death?
your site bog is good and nice . your content is fresh and original.
OK, I’ve read this thread and the NYC info — our roof doesn’t seem to qualify — it’s pitched not flat, covered in blisters etc., not clean… But I really want to paint it white/ silver and can’t afford to fix the roof first. Can I still just buy the paint and paint it myself, over all the flaws in the roof, to get a bit of relief this summer? Or will I be storing up trouble in some way?
Definitely see if your building would consider a green roof!
This is from the US EPA:
“A green roof, or rooftop garden, is a vegetative layer grown on a rooftop. Green roofs provide shade and remove heat from the air through evapotranspiration, reducing temperatures of the roof surface and the surrounding air. On hot summer days, the surface temperature of a green roof can be cooler than the air temperature, whereas the surface of a conventional rooftop can be up to 90°F (50°C) warmer.”
More at http://www.brooklyngreenroof.com
Good Luck!
Thanks!
Federal Conservation did mine. Search here under “Insulation” and you will find other recommendations. Definitely get the vents.
old roofs with cocklofts were usually ventilated with little mushroom vents on the roof. If you have ever been on an old roof you may have wondered what these are. They allow air circulation in the cockloft. Sometimes, over-zealous roofers eliminate them. Bad idea. Also keep in mind that in many early multiple dwellings, hot water was delivered to the units via the “Chicago loop” system a way to have water on tap almost instantly rather than having to wait for it to rise all the way from the basement boiler. The hot water feeder pipes run through the cockloft. These pipes have constantly circulating hot water making them in effect, radiators. It is imperative to have air circulation in these spaces. Don’t overdo the insulation, nothing worse than damp insulation should there be a slow leak somewhere. Air is one of the best insulators.
So it sounds like it has been said a few times over but … silver. They sell special (extra toxic …) paint for it. Search on “silver roof paint.”
It is probably also worth looking into green roof materials. A living roof reflects light *and* insulates. Two birds! One stone! You can buy modular trays of seedum, and at this point there have been enough dry runs on other people’s roofs that we’ve got, generally, a lot more info about what will last and what won’t.
I have the same problem and am interested in insulating the crawl space. Can anyone recommend a contractor who is expert at this?
Here is the poop http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/news/pr_cool_roof_launch.shtml