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Insulated metal roof panels solve moisture, insulation issues at S.C. indoor pool

The original roofing system — with batt insulation and a liner inside the natatorium — was sagging. Mold and mildew had become an issue, and condensation had caused some rust to the structure. Officials at the recreation center decided to go with Metl-Span’s Mesa insulated metal roof panels to fix the problems.

“The insulated metal panel system is a completed system. It’s got all three things going on in every panel,” said Michael Walker, architect at Tych & Walker Architects in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-accredited professional. “The interior panel was coated with a product that is resistant to chlorine. It’s an all-in-one product — the interior panel, the six inches of insulation — to get the R value we wanted and the standing-seam metal roofing. It made all the difference in the world.”

Spann Roofing & Sheet Metal in Conway, South Carolina, installed more than 9,000 square feet of Metl-Span’s Mesa panel, an insulated metal panel with a 6-inch urethane core. The outer face was 22-gauge galvalume. The outer panel featured a Flurothane coastal finish to better withstand the salty sea air from the Atlantic Ocean. Panels were 30 inches wide with a 22-gauge galvalume interior face in SR Igloo White. Panels varied in length up to 45 feet. The company also installed 180 feet of gutters that were coated to match the insulated roof panels.

“This was the first time we’ve ever installed an insulated metal roof panel,” said Jimbo Spann, project manager and estimator at Spann Roofing & Sheet Metal. “We just don’t see a lot of applications like this around here. It was pretty straightforward, and Metl-Span did a good job of taking us through the shop drawings.”

Spann added that the job was under a tight deadline to get the pool open in time for summer. His crews were on site for roughly four weeks.

“It was a tight schedule, and it was challenging working above a pool — just logistical things you don’t have on other jobs,” Spann said. “Plus, before we could install roofing, the general contractor had to add some steel to the existing structure.”