Looking for Eco-Creative ways to cool down a black metal trailer/mobile home roof.?
I'm doing a complete gut and remodel on a trailer. Trying to use only used/junk materials (ya know, the reduce/reuse/recycle thing). I'm half way through and some ceilings aren't in yet. Today was 80 degrees (full sun) and the rooms with no ceilings were 100 degrees. I obviously need to put the ceilings in with attic vents, but I need to cool the metal for now so I can work…safely.
I thought about laying tarps, silver side up, over the un-ceilinged sections, as well as white signboard, and even just painting it white. Here's the hitch, I collect water from the roof for my garden and eventually for my home uses.
Replacing the black sheet metal with corrugated white metal would be best, but there MUST be some creative material out there that I could use…at least for now if not permanent.
Any ideas?
Go to Walmart and buy some ELASTOMERIC ROOFING. It is a very good product. It isn't expensive and will lengthen the life of your roof as well as lessen the effect of the sun. It is also used as a re-roofing agent for all metal roofs. We have done this on many metal roofs and it is guaranteed for 20 years- and it works! Worth the money buy a long shot.
powered by Yahoo Answers
When I was a University student, I spent a summer working out in the oil fields and one of the oil workers invited me to his trailer to meet his wife and kids. It was a respectable single wide but as with all trailers, had a metal roof. They also did not have air conditioning and the wife was complaining about how unbearable the heat was and indeed it was stifling.
I asked if their water bill was by the tap or metered. It was by the tap so I suggested that they put a sprinkler on the roof. He did just that and the temperature cooled down very rapidly.
Of course I mentioned that if he was to do this for any length of time, he should put a couple of carbon filters on the water line and perhaps occasionally mop the roof down with vinegar. I also suggested that he put burlap on the roof as the burlap would hold the water till it evaporated thereby requiring less water to cool the roof, plus when the burlap calcified, it could be just thrown away.
References :
John W is talking about the "latent heat of evaporation" which is the theory behind "Swamp Coolers" that are used in the desert southwest in place of airconditioners. The process of evaporation removes heat from the air.
Down here in the south the thing I see alot is simply a mister nozzle in front of an electric fan. Orient the fan to blow the mist over the roof (it may take more than one fan and one mister). This will function the same way that John W is talking about, but will use less water.
References :
Paint is white. There is no need to get more metal painting is by far more cost effective for the same effect
Insulate the metal roof by gluing foam board to the bottom of it. There are soy based foam that is hard to come by if styrofoam makes you uncomfortable.
Vent the side of unit in the roof area or which will make gable vent for hot air to escape
References :
For temporary cooling use a garden hose sprinkler on your roof, with the water going to your garden. Roof temp will be close to the wet bulb temperature of the outside air. For permanent fix, cram as much fiberglass insulation as possible between roof and ceiling–at least a foot.
References :
common sense plus two engineering degrees
If I were you, I would try to find some rubber to insulate the heat. Yes, white metal might mitigate it, but it's still a conductor. What you should do is maybe get some recycled tires and see if you can do that. Also, I strongly recommend caulking around the trailer. That will be your best friend if you want to fight the inclement weather.
References :
Go to Walmart and buy some ELASTOMERIC ROOFING. It is a very good product. It isn't expensive and will lengthen the life of your roof as well as lessen the effect of the sun. It is also used as a re-roofing agent for all metal roofs. We have done this on many metal roofs and it is guaranteed for 20 years- and it works! Worth the money buy a long shot.
References :