Phenolic foam roof insulation, or PFRI, was hailed as the next panacea of roofing in the 1980s, as it had all the desired qualities of ideal roof insulation. It exhibited exceptional insulation values of 8.3 per inch with no thermal drift, great dimensional stability and easily passed fire resistance tests.

Koppers Co. manufactured PFRI from 1980 through January 1989 as Koppers Rx, Exeltherm Xtra, Rx, Koppers phenolic, Genstar, Pittsburgh-Corning and Loadmaster. Johns-Manville then purchased PFRI from Koppers and began shipping their products, UltraGuard Premier, Insul-Base Premier and Fesco-Foam board until early 1992. About the time JM bought PFRI from Koppers, a serious problem surfaced that would doom the product and eventually cost both Koppers and Johns-Manville millions of dollars. That problem was the corrosion of metal that came in contact with phenolic foam insulation.

PFRI is manufactured with a catalyst blend of organic sulfonic acids. The pH of PFRI, when ground up in water, is 2.5 to 3.0 (a pH of 7 is considered neutral). When moisture contacts PFRI, a very acidic environment is produced. These acids attack metal components that come in contact with it. Steel roof decking commonly has either a prime coat of organic paint or is galvanized. The organic primer is unable to withstand the acidic atmosphere and quickly breaks down, exposing bare steel. Although the amount of sulfonic acid from the PFRI is limited, the corrosion process will produce salts that continue the corrosion process. Galvanized decks offer somewhat more resistance to corrosion, but corrosion still occurs in the form of "white rust". It appears that G-60 galvanized coating may protect steel from the corrosive affects of PFRI for no more than an additional 2-3 years.

Corrosion of steel decks in contact with PFRI is enhanced by its affinity for water. PFRI readily absorbs water. Laboratory analysis of PFRI taken from test cuts indicates that the moisture content by weight can average 250%. The high water absorption rate increases the amount of acid containing leachate that can come in contact with steel decks.

As stated earlier, PFRI was manufactured from 1980 until 1989 by Koppers under various brand names and until 1992 by Johns-Manville. PFRI is a soft foam board with very small cells. Its color ranges from pink to orange and sometimes purple. It can have either an aluminum or fiberglass facer. PFRI was also sold in insulated Loadmaster deck systems. Loadmaster is a light gauge corrugated steel deck with a proprietary gypsum board over it.

Because of its excellent insulating and fire resistance qualities, many membrane manufacturers accepted PFRI and it was used under all types of roof systems. The best course of action is to have a roof professional familiar with PFRI take some test cuts. A visual inspection of the underside of a steel deck cannot always determine if there are problems, since the corrosion begins on the top surface.

This is a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of building owners that had PFRI installed on their facilities. The U.S. District Court and Beazer approved a settlement in 2000. Johns-Manville was also named in this lawsuit. The settlement required substantial payments be made to claimants with PFRI over steel deck that exhibited corrosion. Each claimant was offered a free roof inspection to determine the presence of PFRI, then a prorated settlement for its removal. The amount paid depended on the age and type of roof. In many cases, the roof system and complete steel deck system required replacement, depending on the severity of corrosion.

Although the deadline has passed for filing a claim under the lawsuit settlement, building owners and managers should still ensure they do not have a roof with PFRI. Corroded steel decking can lead to interior building damage or even collapse from snow and rainwater loads on weakened decks. Although a lot of effort went into locating and notifying building owners with PFRI, it is estimated that thousands are still in place throughout the country.

The class action lawsuit only concerned roofs that had PFRI in direct contact with steel decks. All structural decks have some metal components such as fasteners, shelf angles, brick ties, steel reinforcement, etc. There is a growing concern that PFRI will adversely affect these items as well.

The best course of action is to determine if PFRI is in your roofs, and if it is, remove it completely no matter what type of structural deck is on your building.