The Star Program

The ultimate in any preventative maintenance program for your roofing system(s) is the RAMCON Star Program. With three levels of protection, you can customize the program to the individual needs of each roofing system in your portfolio.

The key ingredient in any effective maintenance program is the professionals on the job. That’s why we’ve invested thousands of hours in training our team. Every single technician on your project knows exactly what to look for, how to repair it and how to identify the little problems before they become big ones. But we don’t stop there. Each month, our teams meet to discuss challenges and ideas  to constantly improve.

How exactly does a Star Preventative Maintenance Program save you money? Simple, really. We significantly stretch the life of your existing roof and drastically reduce unbudgeted roof expenses.

Fact: The NRCA estimates the average lifespan of a low-sloped roofing system in Florida at 12-16 years. A roof with a RAMCON Star Plan can have a lifespan in excess of 25 years.

Call a RAMCON Customer Service Representative today at 877-726-2661 to find out more about how you can protect your roof with The Star Program.

7 Tools To Help You Better Manage Your Roofing System In 2013

Preventative Maintenance – Star Program
We live in a world looking for short-term, quick fix solutions. We often compromise the end-goal by taking the road of least resistance. When it comes to our roofs, we frequently have the misconception that if our roofs are not leaking, we don’t need to bother with them. This out-of sight, out-of-mind perspective is one of the root causes for premature roofing failures and increased roofing budgets. The simple fact is that buildings do not get better with age. We’ve all learned that in order to get the maximum service life and utilization out of our hard assets, we need to perform regular and routine maintenance on them. We have learned these lessons in our personal lives with our homes, cars, appliances, lawn mowers, etc. These items last longer and perform better with routine maintenance and care. We have also learned the economic benefits of spending money to make money. Think of the comparison between the $19.95 oil changes in your car versus the $1,995.000 upper engine block replacement because we neglected routine oil changes. The fact is that it is always cheaper to repair and maintain almost anything in a building than it is to replace it. Get started on a cost effective preventative maintenance plan by visiting MyRAMCON.com and see the details.

Tenant Improvement Program
Whenever buildings are leased, owners and managers must deal with a whole range of issues. Tenant improvements can be one of the most difficult. It’s surprising how many roof leaks occur as a result of tenant improvements. This is because roof penetrations that are installed during tenant improvements are often done improperly. Quite often, problems don’t develop until much later. Sometimes the tenant has moved out before the problem is discovered...trust us, RAMCON fully understands this situation. To help avoid headaches, we’ve developed a program that can help. We call this simply our Tenant Improvement Program. There are several advantages in establishing this type of program. The most obvious is that you are assured that the roof will be sealed properly. When RAMCON is involved, “the buck stops here”. You don’t have to worry about going back to the tenant to recover the cost of repairing the problem later; it’s done right the first time. For more information, places to direct your tenants or letter templates to send to your clients informing them of the requirement of using your roofer for any roof work, visit ramconroofing.com/tenant-improvement-program.htm

Set Up Your Client Portal
Take control of your roofing investment and streamline your roof management. With your free portal, you can see every invoice, photograph, work order and much more from any computer, tablet or smartphone. Report leaks directly into the RAMCON system and track them until completion with live time updates. When storms wreak havoc, all the information you need is right at your fingertips and RAMCON can respond immediately. Visit MyRAMCON.com to set up your portal or contact us anytime.

Protect Roof Around Your Mechanical Units
1,293. That’s the number of punctures or damage areas to your roofing systems we repaired in 2012 as a direct result of damage from HVAC work at, and/or near, the access panel of the HVAC unit. Install walkway pads around the service side of the HVAC units and we can help you eliminate 95% of these problems! Also, RAMCON can provide free stickers to apply to your mechanical units that warn your venders that they will be back charged for damage resulting from their actions (a little reminder never hurt anyone!) To learn more about surface protection and to get the free stickers, visit ramconroofing/membrane-protection.htm.

Use Your Manufacturer’s Warranty
You paid good money for your Warranty from the manufacturer…be sure to use it and protect it. When you have a roof leak and your roof is under warranty, there is a good chance that the manufacturer is liable and not you! Therefore, contact the manufacturer after you call RAMCON and tell them you have a roof leak and they’ll send us the required paperwork so they can eat the cost…not you. To assist, we have a dedicated page that shows you the ‘ins and outs’ of contacting practically ever manufacturer in existence. Visit ramconroofing.com/reportleaktomanufacturer.htm.

Accurate Budgeting Projections
‘Educated Guess’ and ‘Shot in the Dark’ are probably familiar terms to describe many owners and managers gut feeling when finally arriving at the bottom line figure for your roofing budget. It’s perfectly understandable, given the fact the roof is constantly evolving and roof budgeting is not an exact science. Good news is, we can help. We have dedicated teams who do nothing but comprehensive evaluations (free for our clients!) that will help you arrive at ‘exact’ numbers using historical documentation and live time condition updates. We’ll get you closer than you’ve ever been and show you ways to minimize the costs. Some pay thousands for a ‘educated guess’. We’ll get you even closer for free.

Take Advantage Of Our Thermal Imaging Capabilities
$1,716.00. $2,100.00. $2,450.00. Those are three prices we received in June 2012 to do a thermal infrared survey to identify moisture points in a roofing systems. Here’s the truth: we really didn’t need the service. We have our own Thermal IR Survey team with the latest infrared technology and we can help you out for absolutely free. From targeting nagging leaks, to identifying saturated insulation points and much more, RAMCON brings the complete package to your roof top. Just another added benefit of being a RAMCON client. Visit ramconroofing.com/thermal-roof-surveys.htm to learn more.

Three Very Common Sources of HVAC Leaks

HVAC Condensation Pan Leaks:
When air conditioning units operate, they collect condensation. HVAC units typically have internal sheet metal pans that collect and drain off the condensation water. Because this is a continuing process, the sheet metal pans have a tendency to rust out. When this happens, the water inside the HVAC unit can leak into the building. This is a common source of leakage, particularly in older units. It represents a significant percentage of the reported leak calls that we receive. If you experience “roof leaks” when it’s not raining, the chances are that it’s an air conditioning problem.

HVAC Air Duct Leaks:
Sometimes HVAC units have sheet metal air ducts that run across the roof. These ducts have overlapping seams, where they are connected together. These seams are sealed to prevent air from leaking in and out. But, they are also sealed to prevent water from getting inside. Unfortunately these seals can crack and wear out. When the HVAC units operate, a high vacuum occurs in some of the ducts. If the duct seals are cracked or broken, the vacuum can pull rain water inside. Once inside the ducts, the water can be blown through the system. If you experience leakage that is seen directly below air ducts or ceiling air vent openings, the chances are that this is the problem.

Vacuum induced Equipment Leakage:
Most HVAC units create significant interior vacuum. If there is a small hole or opening in the HVAC unit, the vacuum can pull rain water inside the unit. Sometimes roof leakage occurs on brand new roof systems directly underneath HVAC units. When this happens, we conduct intensive water tests, to determine the source of the problem. In many cases we find that the roof is not leaking. The HVAC unit is leaking internally.

You Ask A Question. We Provide The Answer

Question: When I went up onto my roof after a rainstorm, I noticed several areas where there is water ponding. Is this a concern?

Answer: The short answer is yes, it can be a concern. The longer answer relates to the question, “what can be done about it?” In an ideal world, there would be no water ponding on roofs. Unfortunately, we don’t live in such a world. Most flat roofs have water ponding conditions, to at least some extent. If the building is fairly new, it probably doesn’t have much of a problem. However, older buildings tend to settle. Plywood, rafters and other supports tend to sag over time. This can cause pockets of water ponding. Also, when buildings were built back in the 1960’s (or earlier), people weren’t paying as much attention to water ponding issues. Many old buildings were built with roofs that have poor slope. As a result, some old buildings have a lot of ponding water. Correcting the problem at this stage could be extremely expensive or (in some cases) impractical. When re-roofing is performed, the issue at hand is, “Is it worth spending a lot of money to correct the problem?” In many cases, the answer is no.

Water ponding that evaporates within 72 hours is generally not considered to be a major problem. Some manufacturer’s use 48 hours as the guideline. In most cases, water ponding doesn’t cause the roof leak (unless it’s very severe). What water ponding can do is to cause the surface of the roof to prematurely deteriorate. This is generally the case in cap sheet surfaced and coating surfaced roofs. It’s usually not a major issue with single ply roofs, but can be with asphalt roofs.

The costs to correct water ponding issues can vary dramatically. Sometimes new drains can be added in strategic locations. However, if water ponding occurs in numerous locations, this can become very expensive and is not a practical approach. In some cases, water ponding problems can be corrected by installing new tapered roof insulation. This could be a consideration when re-roofing is performed. However, it can be very expensive and can double the cost of re-roofing.

If you have ponding water conditions, the best thing to do is to have RAMCON inspect the roof. Our experts can give you an honest, accurate opinion as to what would be the best solution. If correcting water ponding issues makes sense, we’ll let you know. If it’s not cost effective to do, we’ll let you know that too! We look out for your best interests and can help you to make the right decision.