ROOFING SYSTEMS WITH PRE-ATTACHED CONDUCTIVE LAYERS FOR ELECTRONIC LEAK DETECTION

Abstract

A roofing system configured for electronic leak detection, including: (a) a roof deck; (b) an insulation board or a coverboard positioned above the roof deck; (c) a layer of conductive material positioned above the insulation board or the coverboard; and (d) a roofing membrane positioned above the layer of conductive material. The layer of conductive material is pre-attached at a factory onto one of: (i) the top side of the insulation board or the coverboard, or (ii) the bottom side of the roofing membrane, such that there is only one layer of conductive material in the roofing system.

Claims

1. A roofing system configured for electronic leak detection, comprising: (a) a roof deck; (b) an insulation board or a coverboard positioned above the roof deck; (c) a layer of conductive material positioned above the insulation board or the coverboard; and (d) a roofing membrane positioned above the layer of conductive material, wherein the layer of conductive material is in direct contact with an underside surface of the roofing membrane, and wherein the layer of conductive material is either pre-attached onto: (i) a top side of the insulation board or a top side of the coverboard, or (ii) a bottom side of the roofing membrane, and wherein the roofing system comprises only one layer of conductive material.

2. The roofing system of claim 1, wherein the layer of conductive material is either: (i) pre-attached to the top side of the insulation board or coverboard prior to the insulation board or coverboard being shipped to a jobsite, or (ii) pre-attached to the bottom side of the roofing membrane prior to the roofing membrane being shipped to a jobsite.

3. The roofing system of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of conductive connectors, wherein each of the plurality of conductive connectors electrically connects: (i) the conductive layer on the insulation board or on the coverboard to a conductive layer on an adjacent insulation board or coverboard, or (ii) the conductive layer on the roofing membrane to a conductive connector on an adjacent roofing membrane.

4. The roofing system of claim 3, wherein each conductive connector is either: (i) a conductive connector plate configured to be attached to side edges of a pair of adjacent insulation boards, cover boards or roofing membranes; or (ii) a strip of conductive tape configured to be attached to side edges of a pair of adjacent insulation boards, cover boards or roofing membranes.

5. The roofing system of claim 4, wherein each conductive connector is a strip of the roofing membrane having the conductive layer on the bottom side, and wherein the strip is placed upside down spanning between side edges of two adjacent roofing membranes.

6. The roofing system of claim 1, wherein the insulation board or coverboard comprises any one of: an insulation board alone; a coverboard alone, or a coverboard on top of an insulation board.

7. The roofing system of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is a foil layer.

8. The roofing system of claim 7, wherein the foil layer is laminated to: the top side of the insulation board or coverboard, or the bottom side of the roofing membrane.

9. The roofing system of claim 8, wherein the foil layer is laminated in a factory.

10. The roofing system of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is one of: a foil; a non-woven or woven textile; or a conductive cellulosic material.

11. The roofing system of claim 1, wherein the membrane is one of: TPO; EPDM; or PVC.

12. A method of assembling a roofing system configured for electronic leak detection, comprising: (a) placing an insulation board or a coverboard onto a roof deck; and then (b) placing a roofing membrane onto the insulation board or coverboard, wherein either: (i) the insulation board or coverboard has a layer of conductive material pre-attached thereto, or (ii) the roofing membrane has a layer of conductive material pre-attached thereto, and wherein the layer of conductive material is in direct contact with an underside surface of the roofing membrane, such that the conductive layer is installed together with installation of the insulation board or coverboard or together with the installation of the roofing membrane, and wherein the layer of conductive material is the only layer of conductive material in the roofing system.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: electrically connecting the conductive layer on one insulation board or coverboard to a conductive connector on an adjacent insulation board or coverboard; or electrically connecting the conductive layer on one roofing membrane to a conductive layer on an adjacent roofing membrane.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of electrically connecting is performed by installing a conductive connector plate or a conductive tape.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: placing a strip of the roofing membrane upside down spanning between the side edges of two adjacent roofing membranes.

16. A method of performing electronic leak detection on a roof, comprising: (a) providing a roof having: a roof deck, an insulation board or coverboard on top of the roof deck, a conductive layer on top of the insulation board or coverboard, and a roofing membrane on top of the conductive layer, wherein the conductive layer was pre-applied to either: (i) a top surface of the insulation board or coverboard, or (ii) a bottom surface of the roofing membrane, prior to the insulation board, coverboard or roofing membrane being shipped to a jobsite such that the conductive layer was either installed together with installation of the insulation board or coverboard or together with the installation of the roofing membrane; (b) applying a voltage potential between the top of the roofing membrane and the conductive layer; and then (c) measuring ohmic resistance to the applied voltage potential to determine one of: (i) a location of a roof leak, or (ii) a size of a roof leak.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the conductive layer electrically connects the conductive layer on one insulation board or coverboard to a conductive connector on an adjacent insulation board or coverboard or the conductive layer on one roofing membrane to a conductive layer on an adjacent roofing membrane.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the conductive layer is electrically connecting by a conductive connector plate or a conductive tape.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein applying a voltage potential between the top of the roofing membrane and the conductive layer comprises applying a voltage potential between the top of the roofing membrane and a solar mounting system connected to the roof deck.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] FIG. 1A is a sectional side elevation view of an assembled roofing system configured for electronic leak detection (ELD) in accordance with the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 1B is a sectional side elevation view of a roofing system having insulation with coverboards thereover, with a conductive layer pre-attached to the top surfaces of the coverboards, showing the installation of the roofing membrane rolled out thereover.

[0039] FIG. 1C is a sectional side elevation view of a roofing system with insulation and coverboards thereover, but instead having a conductive layer pre-attached to the bottom surface of the roofing membrane, also showing the installation of the roofing membrane rolled out thereover.

[0040] FIG. 1D is a sectional side elevation view of a roofing system similar to FIG. 1B, but without having coverboards, instead having the conductive layer pre-attached to the top of the insulation boards themselves.

[0041] FIG. 1E is a sectional side elevation view of a roofing system similar to FIG. 1B, but without having coverboards, but instead having the conductive layer pre-attached to the bottom of the roofing membrane.

[0042] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a plurality of adjacent coverboards with conductive layers pre-attached to their top surfaces showing the conductive layers being electrically connected together with conductive connector plates.

[0043] FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a plurality of adjacent coverboards with conductive layers pre-attached to their top surfaces showing the conductive layers being electrically connected together with strips of conductive tape.

[0044] FIG. 3A is a close-up view of one of the conductive connector plates of FIG. 2A.

[0045] FIG. 3B is a close-up view of one of the conductive tape strips of FIG. 2B.

[0046] FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a plurality of adjacent coverboards showing the position of a strip of roofing membrane having a conductive layer thereon spanning across the side edges of two adjacent coverboards prior to placing two adjacent roofing membranes having conductive bottom surfaces thereover.

[0047] FIG. 4B is a sectional side elevation view corresponding to FIG. 4A after the two adjacent roofing membranes have been placed into their final position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] Referring first to FIG. 1, a sectional side elevation view of an assembled roofing system 10 is provided. Roofing system 10 is specifically configured for electronic leak detection (ELD). Electronic detection of water leaks into the roof is essentially the detection of breaks in the roofing membrane through which the water passes. As will be further explained in the embodiments described herein, a single conductive layer 20 is positioned below the roofing membrane 30. In prior art approaches, this conductive layer may simply be a layer that is painted onto the top of the insulation 50 or the top of the coverboards 40 (when coverboards are used) on the roof deck 60 prior to laying the roofing membrane 30 thereover. Alternatively, the conductive layer 20 may comprise a material such as chicken wire that is placed under the roofing membrane 20 on top of the insulation or coverboards 20. In contrast as well, in the Aquatrace and Smart Leak detection systems, two layers of conductive material (foil) are required for system operation.

[0049] The single conductive layer 20 is grounded to a structure like a metal roof vent 70 or even the peg of mount of a solar array that is connected to the roof deck below. Grounding to vent pipes, drain bowls, davits, etc. is all contemplated within the scope of the present system. An advantage of the present system is that it may be grounded at multiple locations to multiple objects on the roof. As such, the present system is well suited to mechanical fasteners. Such mechanical fasteners would not work with the Aquatrace and Smart Leak systems above as the mechanical fasteners would simply short out the circuit is they passed through both the upper and lower layers of conductive foil.

[0050] When a tear occurs through the roofing membrane 30, water W pooling on the top of the membrane will pass down through the hole in the roofing membrane and reach the conductive layer 20 below. A simple ELD system 100 is provided. ELD system 100 includes a probe 110 and battery 120. Probe 110 is used to apply a voltage potential to the water W on the surface of roofing membrane 30. The other end of the circuit is electrically connected to the conductive layer 20. For example, conductive layer 20 may be grounded to roof vent 70. If a hole is present in roofing material 20, then the electrical circuit will be completed and the indication of a detected leak will be given by system 100. On the other hand, if there are no holes in roofing membrane 30, then the voltage potential applied to water W will not reach conductive layer 20, and no leak will be detected. Importantly as well, the electronics in system 100 are only used when electronic leak detection is actually performed. This is fundamentally simpler than the Aquatrace and Smart Leak systems discussed above which require complex electronics that is in constant operation.

[0051] The main disadvantage of the existing prior art approaches such as the Detec System is the time taken to install the conductive layer 20 between cover boards 20 and roofing membrane 30. In accordance with the present system, however, the conductive layer is pre-attached (e.g.: pre-installed onto) one of either the insulation/coverboard or the roofing membrane. As such, the present single conductive layer 20 does not need to be installed into the overall finished roofing system as a separate step.

[0052] FIGS. 1B and 1C illustrate two different preferred ways to accomplish this. In the illustrated systems of FIGS. 1B and 1C, a layer of cover boards 40 are installed over the top of the insulation boards 50. As will be shown, the present invention operates in embodiments with and without such coverboards, as desired.

[0053] Referring first to FIG. 1B, insulation boards 50 are attached to roof deck 60. Such attachment may be made through mechanical fasteners, adhesives or any other suitable attachment system. A suitable adhesive would be Carlisle's CAV-GRIP III adhesive. Next, coverboards 40 are installed on top of insulation boards 50. Such attachment may also be made through mechanical fasteners, adhesives or any other suitable attachment system. Again, a suitable adhesive would be Carlisle's CAV-GRIP III adhesive. Insulation boards 50 may be made of polyiso or other suitable material. In addition, insulation boards 50 can have different compositions such as extruded polystyrene (XPS), expanded polystyrene (EPS), mineral wool, gypsum boards, plywood, foam, concrete, and other porous or insulating composite boards. In accordance with the present system, however, the conductive layer 20 is pre-attached onto the top surfaces of cover boards 40. In one preferred embodiment, the conductive layer 20 is made of a conductive foil layer that may be pre-laminated to the coverboard in the factory (i.e.: prior to its arrival at the jobsite). In other preferred embodiments, the conductive layer 20 may be made of a conductive non-woven or woven textile; a conductive cellulosic material, or any other suitable conductive material. The conductive layer 20 may be a pre-installed foil layer or a conductive layer made from physical or chemical vapor deposition of conductive materials such as aluminum, copper, or other conductive materials such as carbon black, metallic flakes, or microspheres embedded in a polymer or other composite films. The thickness of the conductive layer can optionally range from 0.1 mils to 20 mils.

[0054] As seen in FIG. 1B, after the coverboards 40 have been installed, all that it then required is to unroll the roofing membrane 30 thereover. Roofing membrane 30 may be attached onto the top of cover board 40's conductive layer 20 by adhesives laid out on top of the coverboards or by mechanical fasteners.

[0055] FIG. 1C is similar to FIG. 1B, however, the conductive layer 20 is instead pre-attached to the bottom surface of roofing membrane 30 (e.g.: pre-installed at a factory prior to shipping to a jobsite).

[0056] FIG. 1D is similar to FIG. 1B, however, in FIG. 1D, no coverboards are used. As such, the conductive layer 20 is installed directly on top of the insulation boards 50 instead.

[0057] FIG. 1E is similar to FIG. 1C, however, in FIG. 1E, no coverboards are used. As such, the conductive layer 20 is installed directly on top of the insulation boards 50 instead.

[0058] FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B illustrate two different preferred systems for electrically connecting the conductive layers 20 of two or more adjacent (e.g.: side-by-side) coverboards 40 (prior to the roll of roofing membrane 30 be unrolled and positioned thereover. Specifically, as first seen in FIGS. 2A and 3A, a conductive plate 80 may be placed across the side edges of the adjacent cover boards 40. Conductive plate 80 will conduct electricity from the conductive layer 20 on one coverboard 40 to the conductive layer 20 on an adjacent coverboard 40. In preferred embodiments, conductive plate 80 may optionally have a series of teeth 82 thereon which are simply pushed down into conductive layers 20 on both of the adjacent coverboards, thereby securely grounding one conductive layer to another.

[0059] FIG. 2B simply shows the use of a conductive tape 85 instead of a grounding plate 80 to make this connection instead. Installation of either of connecting plate 80 or conductive tape 85 is simple and easy and can be done with workers as they progress across the roof (prior to unrolling and fastening roofing membrane 30 down onto the roof (thereby sealing the connecting plates 80 of FIG. 2A or the conductive tape strips 85 of FIG. 2B thereunder). Alternative conductive connectors can include a shiplap joint with conductive tape or adhesive factory applied to the insulation board, finger joints with electrically conductive tapes across the joints, insulation plates and fasteners, and/or pressure sensitive adhesives utilizing a conductive film and conductive pressure sensitive adhesive. Another optional way of connecting adjacent boards is by using an inductive coupling similar to wireless charging used for cell phones.

[0060] A particular advantage of the present system is that such connections need only be made for the single conductive layer in the system. In contrast, in the Aquatrace and Smart Leak systems, electronic connections need to be made laterally across the roof at both the tops and bottoms of the insulation boards. This doubles the workload, as it can be difficult to make electrical connections simultaneously across the top and bottom sides of the insulation boards.

[0061] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate a preferred system for grounding two sheets of roofing material 30 together in the case where the layer of conductive material 20 is instead pre-applied to the bottom of the roofing membranes 30. In this illustration, two different rolls of roofing membrane 30 are rolled out onto the top of the coverboards 40 (or insulation boards 50 in the absence of coverboards 40). FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate how the grounding layer 20 on the bottom of one roofing membrane is electrically connected to the grounding layer 10 on the next roll of roofing membrane 50. As can be seen, a small strip 32 of the same roofing membrane 30 is simply cut and placed upside down across the side edges of the two coverboards 40. Since roofing membrane strip 32 already has conducting layer 20 thereon, it is simply positioned upside down. As such, the conductive surface 10 of strip 32 will electrically connect the conductive layers 20 on the separate roofing membrane sections 50 together. This provides a fast and easy way to make electrical connections from one insulation board (or coverboard) to the next as the roofing is installed.

[0062] One advantage of the present foil faced insulation board/coverboard (or roofing membrane) is that it dramatically reduces the installation time as compared to the currently available Detec-style conductive substrates. This is because current substrates are layers that must be separately installed on the roof. In one embodiment the installation time was reduced by 90% or higher. The present one-step approach thereby improves productivity and saves money. In one embodiment the installed cost was reduced by 25-75%. In addition, the present system can be used at any temperature (between 20 F. and 120 F.) and thereby expands the installation window to all year long. In contrast, products like Detec's TruGround system is water based and therefore must be installed in above freezing temperatures (typically 32 F. and above). As can be appreciated, the present factory pre-installed foil facer system also advantageously allows roof membranes to be adhered with minimal issues.

[0063] Foil faced substrates are currently available in the market. However, they are used as radiant barriers on wall systems and not in roofing systems. The current product offerings used in wall systems are significantly more expensive (50% or more expensive) compared to insulation boards used in roofing systems. The present invention of foil faced insulation/cover boards or foil faced roofing membranes will be significantly less expensive (50% or more) compared to the current ELD system offerings by Detec and other ELD manufacturers.

[0064] In further optional embodiments, the present ELD system 100 measures ohmic resistance to the applied voltage potential to determine one of: (i) a location of a roof leak, or (ii) a size of a roof leak.