What is StrongSeal?
StrongSeal is not just another synthetic underlayment. Produced from post consumer recycled tires, StrongSeal is the ideal roofing underlayment for today’s environmentally conscious designer. It is a performance quality roofing underlayment that provides outstanding performance.
Some of the key features of StrongSeal roofing underlayments include:
- High percentage recycled material content
- No asphalt – performance rubber barrier
- One (1) year exposure
- High temperature resistance
- Seals around fasteners
- Excellent walkability
- Nail down and self-adhering membrane
What is the benefit of recycled content?
Today’s architects and designers, as well as building owners, are becoming environmentally conscientious. Therefore many people want a “green” product or system. One of the key features of a green product is being produced from recycled content. Many roofing underlayments claim they are green because they can be recycled after being taken off the roof; or that the pallet they shipped on can be recycled; but very few if any can claim high recycled content.
What is the recycled content?
StrongSeal membrane is produced from recycled tire crumb, other recycled rubber polymers and has a polyester scrim. The engineered polymormeric adhesive does not contain recycled content. Therefore the published overall recycled content by weight is 72%.
What is the benefit of no asphalt?
Heat and water accelerate the degradation of asphalt. When installed with long term roof coverings such as tile roofing, the asphalt underlayment will degrade and require replacement when the tile still has many years of usable service. In fact, the Tile Roof Institute states “On a well designed tile roof, the underlayment generally wears out before the tile.” Asphalt is sticky and tends to stick to the underside of the roof covering. When installing standing seam metal roofing a slip sheet is required for asphalt underlayments. Asphalt self-adhered underlayments are not compatible with single ply low slope roof membranes. StrongSeal is compatible with single ply roofing membranes as well as asphalt and hot-applied rubberized asphalt resulting in the ideal underlayment. When asphalt gets hot it can leach onto adjacent surface creating unsightly blemishes. This is not a problem with StrongSeal
What is the benefit of one-year exposure?
Many projects will install the roof covering within a relatively short period of time not requiring the underlayment to be exposed for a long period of time. By installing the roof covering, they may be reducing is the exposure to sun however, the underlayment can still be exposed to wind and water. Referring back to the Tile Roof Institute’s statement “…the underlayment generally wears out before the tile”, degradation of the underlayment is due to wind and water getting between the courses of tile onto the underlayment.
What is the benefit of high temperature resistance?
Heat aging is a common test for longevity of membranes as asphalts tend to loose oils when heated causing degradation of the underlayment. Higher temperature heat ratings indicate that a membrane will perform better in heat aging tests ensuring longer performance in a membrane.
Metal roofing can typically reach temperatures of 250°F depending on the type of finish. A dark colored underlayment left exposed in a southern state in the hot summer can easily reach temperatures above 140°F that could accelerate the heat aging.
What is the benefit of sealing around fasteners?
In November 2006, Professional Roofing printed an article on self-adhering underlayments comparing 10 self-adhering underlayments. Of the 10 only one passed the self sealability test per ASTM D1970 as performed by a recognized respected independent test laboratory. These 10 self-adhering underlayments were manufactured by well known manufacturers. All of the tested self-adhered underlayments were asphalt products. Why is this important?
This test represents the ability of an underlayment to seal around a fastener. The self-adhered underlayment is the secondary layer of water intrusion and if it fails to seal then water intrudes. If the self-adhered underlayment is left exposed for extended time with fasteners, then it must seal around fasteners to prevent water intrusion.
How does it offer excellent walkability?
Due to the rubber compound StrongSeal walks like a gym shoe. Consequently, the oils in asphalt can be slippery when hot and most self-adhered underlayments have a polyethylene top sheet that is so smooth it is slippery. Others have a granulated surface that when they heat up become soft allowing the granules to shear providing a slippery surface.
What are the product offerings?
StrongSeal offers two membranes: StrongSeal DB which is a 30-mil thick nail down underlayment and StrongSeal SA which is a 40-mil thick self-adhering underlayment. They both have the same membrane with StrongSeal SA adding an engineered polymeric adhesive.
How does StrongSeal help qualify for LEED points?
CETCO certifies that StrongSeal is manufactured with a minimum of 37% post-consumer recycled material contributing to earning Materials & Resources Credit 4.1 and 4.2.
CETCO certifies that StrongSeal is manufactured in West Unity, OH contributing to projects that fall within a 500 miles radius in earning Materials & Resources Credit 5.1 and 5.2
CETCO certifies that StrongSeal contains 0 g/l volatile organic compounds.
Other underlayments will claim that their pallets are recyclable contributing to earning Construction Waste Management or that their product is recyclable once removed from the roof contributing to earning Construction Waste Management. What value do these claims have compared to products produced with post-consumer content?
What are acceptable substrates for StrongSeal?
Acceptable substrates include plywood, OSB (Oriented Strand Board), wood plank (no chamfered edges when used with StrongSeal SA), concrete, metal and paper and foil faced insulation board.
Are primers required and if so what primer?
Typically primer is not required when installing StrongSeal SA on a properly prepared and clean substrate above 40°F. Due to the dust and debris primer will help adhesion on concrete. Most single ply self-adhering membrane primers will perform. Contact CETCO for specific primer approval.
Can StrongSeal SA be installed in cold weather?
The adhesive does not form a strong bond a temperatures below 40°F therefore it must be installed above 40°F. Once a bond is formed the adhesive will hold below 40°F. When the adhesive experiences a heat cycle above 120°F the bond will increase and maintain the increased bond even when the temperature drops below 40°F. Both the substrate and membrane must be above 40°F for proper installation.
Is the release liner on StrongSeal SA perforated?
Yes, it is perforated down the center.
How is StrongSeal DB installed?
The membrane is nailed with cap nails spaced 12” along the edges and spaced 24” down the center. The membrane has lines along each edge allowing for a 3” side lap. End laps should be a minimum 6” and offset a minimum of 36”. High wind areas require cap nails spaced 6” along the edges and spaced 12” down the center.
Is StrongSeal considered a vapor barrier?
Yes. When fully covering a roof with StrongSeal proper ventilation must be installed. If leaving the membrane installed long term prior to the roof covering, proper ventilation must be installed.