Education Exchange - Continuing Education Center

PVC: The Industry’s Best Single Ply  

Features and benefits of PVC membrane

Sponsored by IB Roof Systems

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has been used in North America as a single-ply roof membrane for more than 40 years. Because of the longevity of PVC and its history of performance, PVC roofs have a lower roof replacement rate compared to other single-ply membranes. This course discusses how PVC is manufactured, its features and benefits, and comparisons between its performance and that of other thermoplastic single-ply membranes.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
  1. Discuss the history of PVC and its application in building and construction.
  2. Describe how PVC single-ply roof membranes are made and how PVC manufacturers have reduced release of toxic emissions to the environment, improved worker protection from toxins, and eliminated toxic metals in stabilizers.
  3. List PVC roofing’s performance and safety characteristics, including high solar reflectance index (SRI) values, Class A fire resistance, chemical resistance, and longevity.
  4. Describe critical performance criteria for single-ply membrane roofing, including resistance to wind uplift, thermally induced movement, and weathering and the related ASTM standards. Describe appropriate substrates, installation methods, and applications for PVC single-ply roof membranes.