I was getting lower readings from thermocouples placed near the A/C units. Airfl ow had a cooling effect on the thermocouples (even with cones), thus lowering the measured temperature.

Direct sunlight also skewed the readings so we had to keep the thermocouples in the shade for the duration of the test.

Test Methods - Ambient Air Temperature

We used a Radio Shack
ambient air thermometer and thermocouples. All units were given 1 hour to normalize before readings were taken. All readings were taken with the probes in the shade and placed in close proximity to the test area.Roof Surface Temperature We used a Raytek Raynger
non-contact thermometer. Thermal Imaging We used an IR-Insight Infrared Camera. An invaluable tool that allowed us to view the heat gain on the A/C units more accurately than any thermometer could provide.

Infrared Thermography taken on July 26, 2005 at 2:00PM

clearly shows extreme roof temperatures on a black, non-refl ective roof system.