[VAC] Re: coating the roof.

[John Anderson <janderson@xxxxxxxx>]

Bill, I don't have the answers to your 3 questions, but I am willing to offer an
opinion or two.

I think the white roof will help keep the interior significantly cooler by reducing
the solar energy gain of the trailer.  It will be much more effective at reflecting
solar energy than an unpolished aluminum surface.

However, without consulting the absorbtion/emissivity tables, I would say that a
polished aluminum roof would be superior to a white painted roof ITO reflection of
solar energy.  Several postings to this list have documented reduced interior
temperatures as a result of polishing their trailer's exterior.

One thing you might consider is which surface (the white surface or the polished
aluminum surface) will be easier to keep clean so it can remain an effective
reflector.

As an additional data point, I just spent 4 days in South Florida (Miami down into
Key Largo) and I noticed the orange school buses all have white-painted roofs.  I
assumed it was for the purpose of reflecting the sun's rays to keep the interior
cooler.

Finally, I have wondered if their might be a benefit to using one of the white
elastomeric paint-on roof coatings to help eliminate potential roof seam leakage.
My instinct says it should be effective, but I have no experience to back that up.
Hopefully others can shed further light on this issue.

John Anderson
1966 Sovereign