Are you finding it challenging to stay comfortably in your home during summer? A metal roof is the kind of roof that can quickly get heated up during summer, depending on the type of metal used.
In this article, you will know everything about cooling a metallic roof with water.
Cooling a metal roof with water is a procedure employed in reducing the temperature in the interior of a home. During summer, when the metallic top is hot, it makes the house inhabitable.
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Do Metal Roofs Help With Cooling?
Yes, metal roofs help with cooling. This action is possible by its ability to reflect the sun’s radiant heat off its surface.
Asphalt shingles absorb more heat when compared to a metal roof because the metal roof has a low thermal mass.
During the months of summer, the metal roof helps keep your home cool rather than making it hot, thereby causing an increase in your home’s energy regulation.
However, the excellent roof coating materials and the method by which the roof is has a significant role in determining the degree to which a metal roof retains heat.
This material that aid in cooling a metal roof is dependent on some factors. These factors are;
#1. The finishing used:
It is evident that when your metal roof is exposed directly to the sun’s radiant heat, it gets heated up. However, its heat-retaining degree depends on the finish material used.
These cool roof coatings and the finishes for your metal roof are of various types and help keep your home habitable even when exposed to the sun.
#2. Colour choice:
The effect various types of finishes have on your metal roof is as significant as the choice of color of the metal. Colour choice significantly impacts the heat-absorbable power of the metal roof.
The darker the color, the more it absorbs energy.
#3. Sun exposure and mass:
The greater the mass of the metal and exposure to the sun, the longer it takes for the roof to cool. Lightweight materials lose heat fastest.
The energy efficiency of a metal roof can be improved by;
- Suitable reflective surfaces of the metal.
How to Cool a Metal Roof With Water?
An excellent roofing system is involved when considering cooling metal roofs with water. A water sprinkler is to cool a metal roof.
In physics, evaporation causes cooling; runoff water on the top evaporates.
The sprinkler is at the center of the metal roof; a garden hose and a water timer are in line with the sprinkler.
Three feet from the edge of the roof, the arc of the sprinkler is adjusted to enable it to function effectively. This method can’t be preferable when there is a shortage of water supply.
How does Roof Sprinkler work?
At regular intervals, the roof sprinkler works by spraying water on the roof. The temperature of the room drops when the water on the roof evaporates.
It is similar to the way the human body cools after perspiration. There could also be an automatic system set up on a timer or connected to an automatic temperature sensor.
How Do I Keep My Metal Roof from Getting Hot?
There are various ways to keep your metal roof from getting hot. Below are some of the methods by which the metal roof can remain cool;
#1. The Right Shingle:
Shingles are essential to keep your home cool in summer. The right type of shingle, such as those made from specially coated reflective granules, is better than those made using fiberglass asphalt shingles.
#2. Unpainted Metal Roofing:
This type of metal is generally reflective; it reflects the sun’s rays. The low-sloping roofs can also skip the sun’s rays.
#3. Roof Mist Cooling System:
These types add new surface materials or coatings to the roof, known as roof misting cooling systems.
Sensors are to measure the roof temperature and moisture; as such, a small amount of water gets on the roof, and when it evaporates, cooling takes place.
#4. Rooftop Garden:
This is a grown vegetative layer on the roof. This type is so effective that it is way cooler than the ambient air temperature. Rooftop gardens are in extensive commercial metal roofing.
#5. Proper Ventilation:
This is one of the most important ways of keeping your home cool. Soffits, ridge vents, wind turbines, and radiant barriers are the most effective way to ventilate your home.
#6. Modified Bitumen (Tar):
This Bitumen had been with plastic material. This technique can be used primarily as a roofing system or as a top of an insulated roof.
#7. Solar/Photovoltaic System:
In this method, the heat is stored from the roof and redirected into electricity used by the household.
#8. A single-ply Membrane:
The single-ply roofing sheet is a flat material made of plastic with a reflective capacity.
Does Spraying Water on Your Metal Roof Cool your House?
Yes, it does. This method of metal roof cooling wouldn’t last that long; instead, it provides some temporary relief and leads to severe water waste.
Spraying water on a metal roof cools the house by a mechanism known as evaporation, the same as transpiration in humans.
For evaporation to occur, leading to cooling, there must be a change in the state of matter that is from liquid to gaseous state when heat is applied or not. In this case, the heat from the sun is in the form of radiation.
For evaporation to occur, the matter must either gain or lose energy. The water absorbs energy from its surroundings to evaporate, leading to the roof’s cooling.
Is Cooling Metal Roofs with Water a Great Idea?
Yes, it’s a great idea to cool the metal roof with water. During the summer, this is possible when there is a great deal of water.
Evaporation of the water is the method by which the roof gets col. Numerous factors affect the water’s evaporation, leading to the cooling of the metal roof.
Below are some of them;
#1. Surface Area:
The more the surface area of the roof, the more the water evaporation rate from the metal roof, causing cooling.
#2. Wind Speed:
The higher the speed of the wind, the more the evaporation rate of the water.
#3. Air Humidity:
The higher the number of water vapors in the air, the slower the evaporation rate.
#4. Liquid Force of Attraction:
The greater the forces holding the liquid together, the longer it takes for the liquid to evaporate, hence delaying the cooling of the metal roof.
Conclusion
Cooling a metal roof with water is a procedure employed in reducing the temperature in the interior of a home. During summer, the metallic roof is hot, making the house inhabitable.
The cooling effect of a metal roof is made possible by its ability to reflect the sun’s radiant heat off its surface.
An excellent roofing system is involved when considering cooling metal roofs with water. A water sprinkler is to cool a metal roof.
