The Roof Leak that Wasn’t A Roof Leak

Judging by the various repairs at the base of the HVAC unit in the photo above, it looks like this unit has been leaking for quite some time. Water has been coming in at the unit. There are times when the HVAC equipment itself will leak either because of deteriorated pans or because a condensate drain line is plugged. None of that has been occurring here. The repairs at the curb are watertight. That is not the source of the water. Do you see the problem?

This curb was installed by a respected, well qualified HVAC contractor….someone who definitely should have known better. While we won’t mention the company who flashed in the curb, we suspect it was a roofer hired by the HVAC contractor, because that is often the way the work is coordinated. We will give you a hint…..The water entry occurs not only on raining days, but on other days when it is not raining and perhaps when it hasn’t rained for days.

The curb on this unit was designed to be insulated. It wasn’t. You will notice that the top of the curb seems wider or thicker. That is the wood nailer to which you are supposed to fasten the roof flashing. Whoever flashed this curb just smeared roof cement on the curb as they tied it into the existing roof, which meets no manufacturer or industry specifications. Since the curb isn’t insulated, it allows condensation to form on the inside of the assembly, which drips down into the building….thus leaks.

How can you prevent something like this from happening? Well, when you have mechanical units installed on your roof, you can require the mechanical contractor to use RAMCON. That way, you know what is being installed is done the right way, the first time. This same problem, by the way, was present in exactly the same form on at least 10 other installations on buildings this company owned. The mistake was made with great consistency.

Conclusion
Remember, when you are installing unit or equipment on you roofing system, get RAMCON involved from the start. We have dozens of dedicated service crews working around the clock to make sure they are installed correctly and efficiently. Simply give us a call or specify your mechanical provider to contact us directly. We guarantee it’ll meet and exceed manufacturer and industry specifications and be done the right way.

*For the record, RAMCON has assisted this owner in correcting all the deficiencies and the units are flashed perfectly.