Supporting Your Roof Warranty

The goal of a warranty is to ensure a quality roof installation that provides long-term performance. But a warranty alone has never kept a building dry.

The best way to guarantee long-term performance once a roof is in place is to develop a comprehensive roof management plan. An effective plan includes periodic inspections, maintenance/repairs, and it promotes a proactive approach to guarantee long-term performance.

Consider this: Roof systems with no maintenance last 9 to 12 years on average, according to the National Roofing Contractors Association. A properly maintained roof system will provide service life that is more than double the time of a one that is not.

Roof management programs should include establishing a historical record, performing regular roof inspections, establishing routine maintenance programs, and developing policies and procedures to implement the program.

Managers should know the location of their warranty documents and refer to them periodically. Many manufacturers figure that 50 percent of managers either lose or forget about written warranties, which only benefits them. With RAMCON, we always keep a file on hand, so if you ever need it, it’s available immediately.

Regular roof inspections can identify small problems before they develop into leaks or become catastrophes. Manufacturers often recommend inspecting roofs at least twice annually, with corrective action taken on the deficiencies that exist.

A warranty includes both limitations and benefits, but it is not a substitute for proper roof design, quality installation, and a proactive roof management program. Give us a call and we’ll do a complimentary inspection and provide a comprehensive analysis of your roof with one of our signature roof maintenance programs; showing you the ‘math’ on the savings that exists in reduced leak expenses and extended roof service life. When it comes to the best proactive roof management, Florida’s top building owners and managers consistently turn to our pros at RAMCON.

Mark Your Calendars!

The Florida Building and Facility Maintenance Show is coming back to Tampa, and we will once again be exhibiting. We encourage you to stop by, and check out all of the vendors, and check out the educational sessions. While you are there, stop by Booth #609, and say hello to our team! Here are the details. Mark your calendars now!

Florida State Fairgrounds - Expo Hall
4800 US Hwy. 301 North
Tampa, FL 33610

SHOW HOURS (Exhibits Only):
Wednesday, April 25, 2012: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Thursday, April 26, 2012:    10:00 am - 2:00 pm

CONFERENCE HOURS (Speakers & Sessions):
Wednesday, April 25, 2012: 9:00 am - 3:00pm
Thursday, April 26, 2012:    9:00 am - 2:00pm

See you there!

Selecting a Roof Compared to Buying a Car

You have decided to buy a new car. You go to a couple of dealers until you find what you are looking for, buy it, and take it home. The place you buy that car may be important, but you are more interested in the car and its features, right? You bet, because a Ford from one dealer is the same as a Ford from any other dealer. Roofs are not like that. If cars were sold like roofs, things would work quite a little bit differently. After you signed the paperwork, several large semi-trailers would appear at the front of your facility and would unpack THOUSANDS of parts and pieces. Then the dealer’s service crew would start to assemble your new car, from scratch, right there in your driveway. Just think of all those parts! Piston rings in this pile, tires over there, rolls of upholstery material for the seats stacked in a pile (which only got a little bit wet when it rained), an engine block sitting near a bunch of gears for the transmission. You get the idea. And if they actually did that, can you imagine what your finished car might look like?

Now here is the important question:
If your new car is going to be assembled at your home by the local dealer are you going to be more concerned with whether you buy a Ford or Chevy, or are you going to be more concerned who is going to put it together? When you select the type of roofing system to install, as important as that may be, all you have really done is decided to buy a Ford or Chevy. The contractor you select is going to assemble that roof “in your driveway”, not on a high-tech assembly line.

You Don’t Grade On “The Curve”
Remember back in school that my teachers would often grade “on the curve”? So, you could get an “87” and still have an “A”. With roofs, an “87” is a lawsuit waiting to happen. The specific method used to install a roof varies from product to product and application to application, but they all have one thing in common, they are extremely labor intensive to install. Each step is a chance to make a mistake that might end up as a roof leak. Installing a quality roofing system takes a high degree of experience. You expect and need for your new roof to be 100% leak free, no grading on the curve here!

Finding The Best Installer
In our industry, quality work at competitive prices is difficult to find, to say the least. Here are a few reasons why.

1. It is not easy to correctly “assemble a car in your driveway”. Correctly installing a roofing system is difficult and it does take care. Many roofing contractors tend to hire people with lower level skills, but those people also tend to have poor work habits and often have a “I don’t care” attitude, which is where the problems come in.
2. There are lots of poor contractors out there. Why do those subpar contractors stay in business? Well, because people actually hire them. Why would anybody intentionally hire an inferior contractor? Nobody does. But many people do a very poor job of screening the contractors they consider. They just assume that a Ford is a Ford, and after all Ford is a big company... They don’t realize that a roof system is a package. Do your research and select only the best.

Finding a good roofing contractor is essential to a quality roofing system. Florida’s top building owners, managers and contractors consistently turn to RAMCON. We are known throughout the industry for our quality and professionalism and are rated in the top 1% of all contractors in the world!

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.

3 Creative Ways to Find the Best Roofing Contractor

Finding a well-qualified roofing contractor for your roofing portfolio seems to be getting tougher these days. The tough economy over the past few years has left many firms barely afloat and hundreds have simply gone out of business. The common response is to “ask for 3 references”. While we certainly have hundreds we are proud of, doesn’t this concept seem flawed? Do you really expect a reference provided by the company to say something bad?!? Instead, try these three innovative ways to find the best.

Talk To the Warranty Holders
While they might not want their comments made public, they will certainly know who the good contractors are in the area. Every manufacturer keeps quality ratings on their contractors. Think about it, manufacturers are inclined to have quality contractors install the roof perfectly. The better the installation, the lower the incurred warranty expenses. The reason the manufacturer wants a good contractor is the same as you….the roof doesn’t leak! Speak with the major manufacturers, such as Johns Manville, Firestone as well as specialty manufacturers such as Tremco.

Call the Roofing Distributors
Some of the best people to ask are the roofing supply companies. While these companies will not want to appear to favor certain contractors over others, because they sell to all of them, they will generally be willing to tell you who the really competent contractors are. They know who does good work and they certainly know who pays them promptly, which is a pretty good indication of the financial strength of the roofer in question. When you place a call you need to assure whomever you are talking to that you will not reveal their input/participation. The conversation will be “off the record”. Most of these people will then be very glad to help. In Florida, call Beacon Supply and ABC/Bradco Supply, as they have offices throughout the state.

Creative Specification Writing
By writing your bid specifications “creatively” you can also narrow down the field to the better contractors. Most major roofing manufacturers give awards to contractors for doing high quality work. They give them names like “Master Contractor” or “Pinnacle Council”. By specifying that a bidder must be a “Master Contractor” can limit some of your exposure to poor quality work. Additionally, having a significant insurance requirement keeps financially susceptible firms at bay and focuses your exposure to solid contractors.