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.