Carlisle VacuSeal System Overview – Video Transcript
Carlisle partnered with the industry-proven V2T Technology to offer the VacuSeal system through a single-source channel. Carlisle has been working with V2T for nearly 10 years with over 5 million square feet of warranted installations backed by CCM. With our new partnership, Carlisle will be providing enhanced technical and installation resources. The unique VacuSeal system is a completely loose-laid system, secured by specialized vents that utilize the wind to create a negative pressure suction to hold the roofing system in place. This is an engineered system for every individual roof that takes into consideration the building location, heights, wind zone and penetrations to maximize the performance of the vents.
How does the vent work? Air is accelerated as it passes through the vent and at the same time is being pulled out from under the membrane, creating a negative pressure vacuum seal, locking all the roofing system components in place.
Installation is really quite simple as all the components are loose-laid. First, you would have the specified insulation loose-laid above the roof deck or for a retro-fit roof, above the existing roof system. Next, on top of the insulation, install a required cover board. This cover board needs to be a half-inch in thickness, as the weight of the board acts as ballast, holding the components in place during installation. The options for the cover board in a VacuSeal system include either a gypsum cover board or Carlisle’s Ecostorm VSH cover board. Ecostorm is a semi-exclusive product with breakthrough compressive strength of 3900 PSI. It is an excellent option for a re-roofing over existing systems including built up systems due to its extreme moisture and mold resistance. In addition, this cover board is approved by factory mutual very severe hail rating. After the cover board is installed, the air distribution strips are laid out according to the completed drawing and layout of the roof. These air distribution strips facilitate air movement under the vents and the membrane to create the negative pressure to hold the system in place. Typically, there are three distribution strips installed per vent starting at the edge of the roof and running about 20 to 25 feet inward to a point forming a triangle. The vents will be placed at the point of intersection. In order to hold the distribution strips in place, Carlisle recommends the use of a flat insulation fastening plate and fastener to screw into just the cover board or Carlisle sealant tape that is used for specific VacuSeal details in order to create an air seal. Once the distribution strips are installed per the roof layout, the membrane can be installed.
VacuSeal is compatible with all three single-ply roofing membranes – EPDM, TPO and PVC – with a 60ml requirement for a 20 year warranty. As the loose-laid membrane is being kicked out mark the location of the vent placement. Next, cut a 10 inch diameter hole in the membrane centered at the vent location. To complete this Carlisle recommends creating a template using scrap membrane or tracing a pail of adhesive from the job site. After the hole is cut in the membrane, it is time to install the V2T vent. V2T vents pull air out from under the membrane and locks the roof materials into place. These vents come with a 30-inch wide pre-applied membrane skirt for easy and quick installation. Flash the V2T vent to the field membrane according to Carlisle’s specification and details. A few important elements to the installation include – installing the air distribution strips and vents according to the engineer design. At the start of any VacuSeal project, a roof layout is completed that shows the exact placement of these components for optimal performance of the vent and to keep the roofing system in place. Second, there needs to be a complete air seal at the deck level. This is achieved by a solid roof deck and various air and vapor barrier products. Refer to Carlisle’s specification and details for more information.
There are many benefits to the VacuSeal system that make it a perfect solution. There are no cold weather limitations and no VOC’s or odors being an adhesive-less system. With the quick installation of mainly loose-laid materials, contractors see the labor savings similar to a ballasted system, but with the performance of a fully adhered system. Lastly, one of the biggest benefits of the VacuSeal system is the extreme wind resistance. This system has been tested in high-speed wind tunnels in various lab settings including at NASA. VacuSeal has been validated and successfully tested at UL at 195 pounds per square foot. In addition, VacuSeal has been verified compliant with Florida building code for high velocity hurricane zones.
So, where does the system fit along with all the other options Carlisle has to offer? VacuSeal is a great alternative to ballasted or mechanically fastened systems. It is also perfect for retrofit applications, keeping the existing system in place and going over top with the additional insulation as needed per local building codes, loose laid cover board and the specified membrane. Other benefits in a retrofit application include no disruption to the business as there are no equipment noises or adhesive odors during installation. VacuSeal is also great for solid substrate decks, like concrete decks, where the customer does not want to adhere to or penetrate through the deck. You could just use this system as a ballasted system. And finally, with no cold weather limitations, you can install this system throughout the winter months.
To learn more about VacuSeal, go to the Carlisle SynTec Systems website.
Contact Us
For more information on the V2T Roof System visit our website at v2troofsystem.com. If you have a specific job in mind, please complete the job evaluation form, and we will get back to you with more detailed feedback, including if your job is a good candidate for the V2T system.