LABOR DAY 2015

5 Leading Causes of Water Intrusion

This is the time of year building managers and owners start to cringe as we move into our summer rainy season. You think about the leaks that are going to pop up, the angry tenant calls and the damages that occur because of roof leaks. Most of you, history shows, will adopt a ‘leak and respond’ approach. You’ll respond to problems as they occur. It’s just the way you’ve always done it. But I want to show you another way to get ahead of this and probably save you money, time, and frustration. I’ll do it with some simple data.

Last calendar year (2014), RAMCON technicians responded to exactly 8,420 leaks on 2,118 facilities in Florida. Seventy-seven percent of the leading causes of water intrusion come from preventable damage. The remaining 23% of leaks were a result of non-roof related damage or poor workmanship of other contractors.

 

 

Puncture in TPO Membrane

 1. Damage to Roofing Systems – 2,136 Leaks

This predominately was punctures located within 3 linear feet of either a mechanical unit or the roof access hatch.

How You Can Prevent it ...

If there is one puncture in the roof, you can bank on there likely being several. There are two ways to save money in this situation. First, be proactive and attempt to eliminate them from occurring. Send a letter to your mechanical vender warning them of potential back charges for damages to the roof system. Second, it is cost effective to fix all of the punctures at once, rather than a leak here or there. Small punctures may not leak every time but they can get exponentially worse over time.  RAMCON technicians will save you money by examining the whole membrane. Then fixing all of the punctures at once eliminating the frustration, consequential damages, and the expenses of multiple leak calls.



HVAC Unit

2. Mechanical Units – 1,803 Leaks

Higher on the list than you would think? Well, it’s true. Roof top mechanical units, predominately HVAC units, account for 21% of leaks we repair.

We Can Prevent This Together ...

As you know, at RAMCON we do what we are best at… roofing. However, roof system failures are not always the source of leaks. Thankfully, we have good relationships with just about every mechanical vender in Florida. When we respond to a leak and the roof is not at fault, RAMCON technicians will perform a water test to confirm it is the mechanical unit. RAMCON will provide full documentation the same day, so that your mechanical vender can solve the mechanical problem. We will take photographs and videos to show the mechanical vender the point of intrusion. We will even return to the facility with your mechanical vender if necessary and show them. This year, we need to all work as a team when it comes to mechanical units.

Pitch Pockets

3. Pitch Pockets – 1,116 Leaks

Pitch pockets are notorious for leaks because they allow items to penetrate the roof. When there sealant begins to deteriorate, void, or split they will leak. Pitch pockets are a continuous maintenance item that falls under ownership maintenance responsibilities. Do not wait until they leak to perform maintenance checks.

How You Can Prevent This ...
Just look at them. Pitch pockets are simple things in which a visual inspection tells you just about everything you need to know. If the sealant looks low, cracked, or separated from the metal, you can bet water intrusion will occur. DO NOT attempt to seal it with a caulking it will not work. We apply a special ‘cured’ sealer to seal these penetrations. If you see deterioration, have RAMCON come reseal them now. Most manufacturers have new products available that eliminate the need for a pitch pocket and even include it under the coverage of your existing manufacture warranty. If you have, pitch pockets with reoccurring problems ask RAMCON to replace your existing pitch pockets with upgraded products and allow the manufacturer to cover any potential leaks from that point forward.

4. Counter Flashing Sealant – 906 Leaks 

The roof system has to stop somewhere. This is typically a termination or metal counter flashing that has a seal at the top. Over time, through building movement, general aging, and thermal expansion/contraction, these sealants will deteriorate. 

How You Can Prevent This ... The trick to eliminating this situation from becoming a roof leak is to address the problem early. Once moisture gets behind the sealant, it saturates the base flashing, then the roof system, and facility. RAMCON technicians can probe for voids in the counter flashing sealant. Where voids occur we apply a special primer to reseal it accordingly. It is less expensive to fix these problem areas all at once than to nickel and dime yourself fixing a section here and there over the summer.

 

5. Internal Roof Drains – 512 Leaks
Many facilities do not have internal roof drains but they can be a real problem area. They can leak at multiple areas and it’s not always roof related. About 63% of the time, we found flashing issues and 37% came from damaged pipe seals and deterioration.

How You Can Prevent This ...
Preventing internal roof drains from leaking is not always easy. Compounding the issue are leaks from internal roof drains appear worse because water is directed to this point. If you have a history of internal roof drain leaks, we recommend utilizing an improved version of drain flashing. Back in the ‘old days’, we would install a lead sheet with roofing cement that sealed the drain. It was a maintenance nightmare. These days, we can eliminate the old ‘compression seal’ by utilizing a new efficient liquid flashing. RAMCON has responded to less than five leaks at internal roof drains with this new method in place and of those with leaks were the result of physical damage. The best part is the upgrade is put under your roof’s warranty.

 

While we can’t stop the rains from moving in, we can control how it effects our roofing systems and our businesses. The facts show these items are on your roofing system and they are leaking. They’ll continue to do so, at an accelerated rate as your roofs progress through their life cycle. What I strongly encourage you to do is get ahead of the curve. The punctures up there will leak. The pitch pockets are starting to void. You have sealants that are giving way. The choice you have is to wait until a leak starts and fix them one at a time, or invest a small amount and have a RAMCON technician fix all of these issues in one visit. National Roofing Contractors Association data shows the average roof leak costs approximately $612.46 to solve in 2014 (nation-wide). Preventing just two leaks more than covers a technician spending a day on your roof solving dozens of potential leaks. It’s a good investment and will make your jobs much easier this summer.

 

8 Areas of Quality Control that Make or Break a TPO Roof Installation

1. Test Robot Welding
RAMCON tests it’s robot welder settings every morning, afternoon, and after any major temperature change throughout the day. We perform practice robot welds on scrap membrane, changing only one variable at a time, either temperature or speed. After the welds have cooled, we cut a one-inch strip across each weld for each change in temperature or speed. Then we perform a pull test. If a cold weld or a partial weld happens those temperatures and speeds are not at the proper setting for the current climatic conditions. Once a full or perfect weld is accomplished, the welding robot is set to the perfect speed and temperature.

4. Probing For Voids
After the seam has cooled, we come back and probe those seams. If a void occurs, we patch it with an unsupported membrane on the same day; ensuring the installation is perfect before we leave the roof.

3. Improper Perimeter & Corner Enhancement
Roof failures are most common at perimeters and corners due to the lack of enhancements.
The most crucial items are:
• Adding the correct amount of additional fasteners to an insulation for full adherence
• The proper number of perimeter sheets for a mechanically attached roof system.
The biggest mistake contractors make is improper installation of attaching perimeter sheets at the corners. Fasteners need to “box” in the corner area. The following pictures show where the fasteners are required to go and which were missing on this project.

4. Base Fastening at Curbs & Penetrations
The end of a membrane (termination) requires termination fasteners and plates. Prior to flashing installation penetrations (pipes, curbs etc.) they must be terminated. Base fastening and termination are typically required regardless of the manufacturer to properly secure the
membrane.

5. "Drain Bolts" Attached Properly
Tightening drain bolts on a roof is one of the most easily forgotten items by contractors. Without tightened drain bolts, water can get into the system or, as shown in the example, can actually lift up and cause a catastrophic failure.

6. Priming "Pitch Pockets" Before Sealing
Pitch pockets must be primed before adding pourable sealer or grout. If it is not primed, it will not stick to the penetrations allowing leaks to develop. Missing this step is a leading source of water intrusion.

7. Cleaning
If a TPO membrane experiences exposure for over 24 hours or gets dirty before welding begins to avoid seam failure clean the membrane. Therefore, it is ideal to do all welding and flashing on the day of installation. The picture shows both a properly cleaned area and an improperly cleaned area. Unfortunately, the un-cleaned seams will fail.

8. T-Joint Patches
There is always confusion over when and where T-joint patches are applied. The first place is at any horizontal transition where the end lap of a roll intersects with the side lap of another roll, or the T-joint intersection. The second place to use a T-joint patch is at a start or stop for the robot. This will ensure there are no voids left eliminating water intrusion. For quality control, we regularly inspect all lap runs and flashings wherever a welded lap terminates at a wall or roof edge.

Quality Control Makes The Difference
When choosing a contractor to install your roof, price certainly is a factor. However, it’s not the only factor. Subpar work is substantially more expensive in the long run and reduces return on investment significantly (not to mention the headaches that come from roof leaks). With RAMCON, you receive a superior installation, by dedicated quality control teams (who know what to look for), and inspects each project without exception.
 

Spotlight Project - Great Bay Distributors

Spotlight Project

Organization:  Great Bay Distributors
System: Single Ply TPO
Square feet: 263,620

 

RAMCON Roofing installed six TPO roofing systems on metal decking at Great Bay Distributors new headquarters. The property sits on 96 acres of land located in St. Petersburg near interstate 275. The cold storage facility’s roofing system accommodates a 1.5-megawatt solar array making Great Bay Distributors the largest private solar power installation in Florida. In addition, the roofing system received a 20-year no dollar limit warranty. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the system is projected to offset 90 percent of the building's energy cost after approximately six years.

Experience Modification Rate

EMR evaluates the experience and safety record of a contractor. It is a number used by insurance companies to gauge both past cost of injuries and future chances of risk. An EMR of 1.0 is considered the industry average. It effects a company’s ability to obtain credit and result in higher insurance premiums, which a company may pass on to their clients. Insurance companies look at a number of different factors to arrive at the number but the main component is safety.

Safety refers to the company’s ability to reduce or eliminate work place injuries. Ongoing safety training and continually assessing work methods is the best way to reduce risk to the company and client. RAMCON maintains an industry leading Risk Management program and a .69 EMR.

Experience of the company refers to both the roof technicians and the company. The time the company has been in the industry contributes to the companies EMR. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in just a three-year period, 45% of all roofing contractors were newly formed while 41% of existing contractors had gone out of business.

Roof Punctures: Causes & Solutions

The leading source of roof leaks are punctures to the roof membrane. Practically every type of roofing system is susceptible to punctures even multiple plied asphalt roofing systems. The roofing system supports essential facets of the facility like HVAC units, grease traps, exhaust fans, and solar assemblies. 

During regular up-keep on these facets roof punctures could occur. Sometimes punctures and damage to the membrane, do not immediately present noticeable damage. If an object slightly punctures the roof membrane; over time the puncture exposes the roof system to the elements, thermal expansions, and contractions. The damage then works its way through the roof surface creating leaks.

TYPICAL SOURCES OF ROOF: PUNCTURES
ROOF TRAFFIC. HVAC technicians, plumbers, satellite providers, etc. often  utilize  the  roof to perform their duties. They may unintentionally drop tools and other hazardous materials that cause damage to the roof membrane.
WILDLIFE. Regardless of the area,  animals tend to enjoy rooftops. Birds peck at things, squirrels love  chewing on lead products and raccoons scratch at the roof surface.
INCLEMENT WEATHER. Strong storms create wind-borne debris that dislodge mechanical units off service doors, branches, and general  litter  blown  across  the  roof surface.

PROACTIVE MEASURES
• Install walkway pad protection along heavily traveled routes and around the mechanical units.
• Inform vendors the roof is under warranty and actively monitored.
• Display warning stickers on roof hatch access and on mechanical units.
• On heavily serviced roofs, add thicker roof membranes and/or additional plies to the system  to
increase redundancy.
• Educating maintenance personnel on how to prevent damage and what to do if an incident occurs.
• Limiting foot traffic on the system only to qualified professionals.
• Fully secure and attach all items on the roof.
• Trimming excess vegetation and trees around the facility to prevent wind-borne debris.

Spotlight Project: TopGolf




TopGolf


Organization:  TopGolf
General Contractor: ARCO Murray Construction
System: TPO and Standing Seam Metal Roof Panels

RAMCON installed a 2,100 Sq. foot TPO roof system on the main building and 320 Sq. feet of standing seam metal panels on the canopy over the driving range. TopGolf is part of The Estuary development on I-75 and Palm River Road. The project created 1,700 construction jobs. TopGolf hired approximately 400 staff employees.

The golf range (contains 11 targets from 20 to 240 yards) and golf balls are embedded with sensors. Once you hit the ball into a target, the score appears on your dashboard. The venue includes a full restaurant and virtual golf.