Roofs and Hurricane Preparedness

With hurricane season coming into full swing at the end of the month, most facility managers and building owners in Florida have one eye on the news hoping that another 2004 hurricane season is not upon us. Rather than wait until a storm is on the radar and there is little to no time to prepare, now is the perfect time for managers to think about their roofs. A study from The Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues (RICOWI) and information released by the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) examine the weaknesses in roofs during hurricane conditions and outline the necessary steps to prevent severe damage in the future.

The Causes Of Roof Failure
Installation practices are often the reason that roofs do not perform. The RICOWI study examined roofs after the 2004 season, which included the destructive hurricanes Charley and Ivan. Its findings revealed the defects in installation. “Failure of roofing systems resulted from vulnerability at the perimeter and punctures and tears from debris,” says David Roodvoets, wind event coordinator for Houston, TX-based RICOWI. “The attachment to the deck could not resist the loads created when the perimeter securement failed, which led to progressive loss of membrane coverage.” The study found that roofs designed after 1992’s devastating Hurricane Andrew performed well unless there were installation problems. These include internal pressurization from openings (typically created by failed accessories); perimeter detachment; and corrosion
issues. As Andre Desjarlais, member of the RICOWI team, clarifies, “If you can’t hold the edge down, no matter what kind of roof you have, the whole thing is going to come down. The issue of fastener corrosion was seen over and over again.” When high speed winds entered buildings through these spaces, roofs were compromised.

Preparation For 2012
Careful installation practices can make a significant difference in a roof’s hurricane preparedness. According to the RICOWI study, nearly 95% of roof failures were caused by poor workmanship and substituted materials. We’ve seen, on occasion, nails from local hardware stores were used in place of proper fasteners. The question you should ask yourself now is this: “Is my roofing system prepared for a hurricane?

The Good News
If you’re unsure or have doubts, you really should call RAMCON to come and perform a comprehensive inspection. We offer free inspections and reviews for all our clients and will provide you documentation
about that status of your system. We’ll help you document a dry roofing system which will aid you with your insurance company should a roof become damaged during a storm. Our technicians will review the roof assembly, assure that all the rooftop units are secured and there are no weak spots in the system . We’ll identify missing fasteners, voids and punctures and much more so you can know your system is ready.

Evaluating The Roofing System After A Storm

You can’t do much to repair or maintain a roof while the storm is underway; a roof isn’t a safe place to be in bad weather. First and foremost, if you sense problems during a storm like ceiling tiles falling or sprinklers popping, indications that the roof may be caving in, you’ll want to evacuate the building immediately. Once you’ve taken all the steps you can to ensure the roof will weather the storm (best achieved with an inspection from RAMCON), what happens when it’s over? It’s wise to perform a post storm roof inspection.

Evaluate the Damage

As soon as it’s safe to examine the roof, it’s important that we do so. RAMCON has teams that specialize in post-storm inspections and can quickly and effectively inspect the roof for any substantial damage. As we review the system, taking action may be warranted. Anything that’s causing leaks is top priority and needs attention as soon as possible. Damage to the membrane, such as cuts, punctures and voids, needs to be addressed. It’s also vital to check the roof drains and gutters to see if they became clogged, which is common in a strong storm with debris flying around. Similarly, we’ll need to see whether any metal flashings have come loose, creating a risk of water getting behind the flashing and into the facility. If the roof has multiple levels, we will pay particular attention to the intersections of the walls and roof levels to make sure nothing has been dislodged. Also on the checklist: listening for a crunching sound as we walk the roof. That may indicate that the roof actually was lifted by the storm and is settling back into place as you walk over it, if that happens, we need to check it further. We may see that the fasteners have backed up and penetrated the roof membrane, so that they may cause leaks when the next storm hits. Several areas warrant checking that might not be apparent at first glance. For instance, we confirm that all penetrations and penetration flashings remain firmly attached to the roof. The same goes for any equipment screens, which should be “storm-worthy for the next event”. While roof maintenance often takes a back seat to other priorities on your “To-Do” list, it is an important part of managing and looking after the asset. An ongoing maintenance program can prevent more serious and
costly problems down the road.

Staying Sharp This Storm Season

“It’s been several years since the last bad hurricane, so you can get complacent,” says Rodger Osborne, director of facilities for the Martin County School district, one of the areas hit hardest by Frances, and then Jeanne three weeks later in 2004. “This taught us to inspect all roof installations more closely. It’s something we just can’t take for granted.”

A roof is rarely noticed unless there is a problem, but nothing brings it to the forefront of people’s minds like a storm that damages it or blows it off altogether. Sometimes, damage caused by hurricanes is unavoidable, as when flying debris punctures the roof. More often, though, roof damage can be prevented.

The first and most important part of preparedness, and an important lesson from the 2004 hurricane season, is that a preventive roof maintenance program is critical. While the new, more stringent roof codes are well-and-good for new facilities or new roof installations, facilities with older roofs are certainly at much greater risk for more extensive hurricane damage.

Considering the unpredictability of hurricane paths, facility executives may have only a few days to prepare. If facility executives keep up a rigorous preventive maintenance routine, the roof has a better chance of weathering the storm without facility staff having to scramble to make last minute preparations or repairs. Of course, even if the roof has been kept up, some disaster mitigation preparations are still in order.

Experts recommend having an experienced, knowledgeable, contractor do a complete inspection of the roof prior to the storm to pick up any loose items, such as screws, nuts or loose pieces of metal flashing, and taking down other objects that could be dislodged, such as satellite dishes or antennas. This could also be extremely beneficial after a storm, should there be damage and insurance claims, and documentation become necessary.

To have your roof thoroughly inspected, simply call one of our Customer Service Representatives today at 877-726-2661

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 Holder

While they might not want their comments made public, they will certainly know who the good contractorsare 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.

What Is Thermal Infared Imaging?

Infrared light or thermography is the use of an infrared imaging and measurement camera to “see” and “measure” thermal energy emitted from an object. Thermal, or infrared energy, is light that is not visible because its wavelength is too long to be detected by the human eye; it’s the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we perceive as heat. Unlike visible light, in the infrared world, everything with a temperature above absolute zero emits heat. Even very cold objects, like ice cubes, emit infrared.

Infrared Thermal Imaging
The higher the object’s temperature, the greater the IR radiation emitted. Infrared allows us to see what our eyes cannot. Our infrared cameras produce images of invisible infrared or “heat” radiation and provide precise non-contact temperature measurement capabilities. It is a valuable diagnostic tool to identify saturated insulation areas without the need for destructive testing.

How It Applies To Your Roof
During the daytime, wet roof insulation absorbs much more solar heat than dry insulation. During the night, this “solar gain” is released as radiant heat, which is detectable with the infrared camera.

The RAMCON Team use state-of-the-art cameras to capture the “thermal signature” of the roof’s nighttime heat loss. As you can see in the example photos below, the infrared image pinpoints the extent of moisture damage within the roof.

Our inspection teams precisely mark out the damaged areas on the roof surface, so you can save the expense and liability of destructive testing. This allows us to calculate the cost of unit cost replacements before the project even starts…something practically no one else can match!

Case Study: RAMCON Saves Owner $27,999

Our “Case Study” reports are designed to illustrate various ways we have helped clients so that you can begin to discover ways to utilize what we do. All names have been changed to protect confidentiality.

The Call From The Client
One September day we received a call from a client with many “retail” buildings, here is their story:

“We have a problem. We developed a leak on a roof still under warranty at our “ABC” location. The manufacturer came out to investigate and advised us that since the roof was covered in 3” of leaves, they would be unable to find the leak until the leaves were removed. The store manager decided to “help” the issue along and sent a crew of store employees on the roof with shovels and rakes to remove the vegetation. They removed the vegetation and punched “hundreds, if not thousands” of holes in the roof. When it rained the next week, there were literally hundreds of leaks. The manager had to close down portions of the store because of all the water that was pouring in. When the manufacturer came back he advised us, and we agreed, that the roof needs to be replaced in the areas where we damaged it. The problem now is that the manufacturer has brought out a contractor and they have given us a price of over $44,000 for this work. It sounds like a lot of money. Could you take a look at it and see what you think?”

Our Role
We inspected the roof and our estimating team priced the exact same repair specifications for $17,000 less than the previous contractor. As you can imagine, the owner was happy and no leaks have reoccurred, but read on.

There Was More
While on the roof we also found a number of other problems, all warranty related, which we then brought to the attention of the manufacturer. The manufacturer agreed with our findings and then arranged to replace approximately 65% of the rest of the roof with brand new material at no cost to the owner. (The value of this work would have been approximately $40,000). Imagine how happy the owner is now? If we had not found this problem (no one else had noticed these issues, including; the manufacturer’s rep, his inspector, and the contractor) the owner would have also had this expenditure to pay when the warranty expired.

Conclusion
We cannot always cut the price of your project by half, but one of our skills is to know how to address specific problems to ensure you get the best possible price. Building managers often align themselves with a roofer because that is who they have always used, but they are often unaware of quality concerns and the ability to save thousands. We can often save “real” money over what you might otherwise have had to pay.