Improvement 4.0 - Secondary Water Resistance (SWR)

A Secondary Water Resistance (SWR) is a special material that sticks onto your roof deck to help stop water from getting inside your home. It works like a peel‑and‑stick layer under your roof. This material can be a covering over the whole roof, a 6-inch tape that is placed over all the seams in the roof deck, or spray foam adhesive used in the attic that seals every seam around the roof boards and trusses. 

This improvement can be completed in three (3) ways: 

1. At the time of reroofing, use a full-coverage self-adhered underlayment, commonly referred to as peel-and-stick, directly to the roof deck material. 
2. At time of reroofing, use a self-adhere product, commonly referred to as seam tape, on all joints and seams of the roof decking material. This still requires nailed down underlayment such as felt paper; or
3. If not replacing the roof, install a foam adhesive on all the seams and joints from the attic side of roof.

IMPORTANT NOTES REGARDING SECONDARY WATER RESISTANCE

Based on proposed changes to Form OIR-B1-1802, Applicants can receive Grant funding for installation of a Secondary Water Barrier (SWB) instead of a Secondary Water Resistance (SWR) if using the following method: Double layer of felt or synthetic with no tape

Alternative SWB installation methods such as hot mop, tar, single layer of felt, or peel-and-stick applied over any other kind of underlayment are not eligible for Grant funding.