Millions commercial and industrial structures utilize conventional flat roof systems. By way of example but not limitation, structures such as warehouses and office buildings are routinely designed with roofs that have little to no slope. These conventional roofs are typically constructed having layers such as but not limited to a deck structure having an insulation material, a vapor barrier, an additional layer of roofing material and a moisture membrane. The aforementioned construction generally provides a watertight roof system but these systems have been shown to fail either due to damage, age or poor workmanship. One problem with these types of roof structures is that ensuing a development of a leak moisture becomes trapped between the layers of the roof where it can remain undetected causing significant damage.
Existing technology utilizes roof vents that are installed across the roof structure and function to allow trapped moisture to escape from the roof structure if present. While current technology has shown to be somewhat effective there are limitations to the existing technology. Existing roof vent technology can be limited as to what type of roof membrane material to which they can be installed and the amount of moisture that they can eliminate due to inherent low air volume. Existing roof vent systems having moisture detection typically require physical contact with the moisture for detection thereof which leads to component failure. Current roof vents can require larger holes in the roof membrane for installation, which can be a problem during replacement or retrofit of an existing roof. Lastly, existing roof vents have reduced air intake plenum areas, which can lead to inefficient moisture reduction.
Accordingly, there is a need for a roof vent system that provides more efficient and proactive moisture detection and reduction for commercial roof structures.