WHAT DOES A TAPERED INSULATION SYSTEM MEAN ON A ROOF AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT THE AIR CONDITIONING STANDS?
WHAT DOES A TAPERED INSULATION SYSTEM MEAN ON A ROOF AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT THE AIR CONDITIONING STANDS?
Low sloped re-roofs, “Flat Roofs”, are always tricky, especially when working in conjunction with multiple trades. One of the obstacles in commercial flat roofing is the a/c stands and Tapered Insulation systems that we would like to particularly address in this article. It is necessary to taper a roof to ensure it drains properly. Code requires ¼” of slope for every foot.
Particularly in South Florida, the new Building codes mandate a/c stands have a specific measurement in height, and the a/c unit should have a minimum clearance above the roof line for air to flow properly underneath it.
When the tapered layout is designed (usually by the roofer or an engineer), it is important to have good communication between the Mechanical Contractor, particularly about the highest and lowest areas of the new roof. In this case the Engineer in charge of designing the a/c stands will deduct the tapered space from his calculations and provided the correct height for the a/c stand’s legs. If this communication does not take place the height can be wrong and can be costly to correct. In most cases the new roof would have to be opened and the stands will have to be raised or lowered depending on the height of the tapered insulation in that area under the stand.
Example: You could have one portion of the roof with tapered insulation 14” high, where a/c stands are located, draining down to an area of the roof where the tapered insulation is only 1.5” and as you can see, if there are any a/c stands in this area it would require a lower height of the stands than the higher area. The mechanical contractor may have to make many different size heights.
For a sample video of installation please click on the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=61&v=om22N40rIKA&feature=emb_title
All Phase Construction USA, LLC.
Roofing Consultant: Oscar Guedez
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