Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Routine Preventative Maintenance


Author: Wayne T. Belina – South Florida Office (Peach State Roofing Inc)


Roofing is a complex science as well as an art. A proactive maintenance program in place can provide an average roof life of 21 years compared to 13 years with a reactive maintenance program, depending on the roofing system and building type. An effective roof management program is a win-win situation. The owner gets a trouble-free and cost-effective preventative program. With a proactive maintenance schedule in place, the average life-cycle cost is 14 cents per square foot. The average reactive maintenance life-style costs are 25 cents per square foot.
  1. Bi-annual roof inspections.
  2. Clean roof of all debris.
  3. Clean out all scuppers and drains.
  4. Seal and top off all pitch pans to avoid buildup of water.
  5. Check base and curb flashings for voids.
  6. Address all joints in metal perimeter coping.
  7. Aluminum coat all base and curb flashings.
  8. Identify deteriorations and/or damages to roof membrane.
  9. Address and caulk all joints in metal counter flashings.
  10. Identify roof damages from other trades.
  11. All damages or concerns found to be outside this scope of work will be documented and put into proposal form for the property manager’s consideration.
  12. Notify and update current roof system manufacturer of any/all changes to roof system as per warranty requirements.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”
-Benjamin Franklin

Peach State Roofing, Inc. – National Commercial Roofing Services
1-800-604-9309
www.PeachStateRoofingInc.com

Monday, May 1, 2017

Project Profile: Mount Carmel Christian School

The Challenge – As a structure that has been around for more than 20 years, Mount Carmel Christian School was built as one of the largest religious sanctuaries in the state of Georgia. Still standing on its original workmanship, Mt. Carmel was constructed with a 20 gauge standard steel 6 on 12 sloped deck covered with 24 gauge standing seam metal roof panels. With a 24 gauge turn metal radius dome sitting atop the main roof, the total structure compiles roughly 35,000 sq ft.
Since the day Mt. Carmel’s original roof was completed, the facilities staff battled leaks due to the roof being incorrectly installed at the start. Major water damage occurred all throughout the interior building. The key challenges that had to be met were the extreme OSHA safety requirements due to the severe slope of the dome and lower roof along with the complexity of perfectly covering the dome to give the overall roof the appearance of a metal system.
Before construction started, a systematic approach was studied and developed to meet all meticulous challenges for this project which would provide excellent workmanship, first class service, and a solution that would achieve total satisfaction for the issues facing Mt Carmel Christian School.

The Construction – Before any immediate roofing construction took place, a 2 week period was spent manually installing a detailed safety network. With multiple levels of roof, a solid perimeter railing system was built up around the base edge of the structure for the purpose of fall protection. Once this system was in place, workers built wood scaffold decking around sections of the base of the dome and flat-arched wood step ladders were built to aid in scaling up the severe slope. All workers were 100% tied off to the cross of the dome at all times while assembly was in progress. After the 2 week period of safety setup, construction began.
Roof construction started with the dome. Quarter inch Dens Deck was field cut into “pie-shapes” so that the board could be contoured around the radius dome smoothly. Broad ends of the board started at the base of the dome and ran up to a point at the top of the cross. After assembling the unique design on the surface, the Dens Deck was mechanically fastened to the metal deck. Once in place, Sarnafil G410-14 Feltback membrane was field cut into “pie-shapes” and prepared for being fully adhered to the dome. The unique shapes were chosen to create a “no-wrinkle” appearance for the membrane. Extreme caution and supervision were required while adhering to the complex arch of the building. Five workers were required to lay each layer of membrane to ensure a perfect contour from the base to the top.
Once the first layer of membrane was secured, the next layer was overlapped, adhered, and heat welded to the existing membrane. Severe attention was paid during the welding due to the fact that a heat walker was run from the top down on an uneven surface which meant balancing the equipment by hand on the seams while it was being lowered by cable. An average of three section a day were placed in order to ensure a perfect decor system. There totaled 32 section days of work for the dome alone.
After completion of the membrane around the dome, a repeat process of heat welding was replicated for decor seams a 1/4 inch away from the field seams for the purpose of hiding the seams from ground vision.
During construction of the base roof sections, 1.5 inch polyisocyanurate board was cut in 12 inch strips to fill between the panel ribs. Half inch Dens Deck was then applied over the polyiso board and mechanically fastened to give the lower roof sections a flat surface. G410-14 was laid vertically, fully adhered, and heat welded to each existing layer of membrane. The heat walker was manually supported and lowered by cable for the field seams and decor seams.

The Result – Through a detailed and sequential strategy, Peach State Roofing meticulously monitored the Mt. Carmel roofing project ensuring that it ran smoothly and was completed to perfection. With the highest degree of service and support, this roofing project was completed with extreme excellence. Many members of the congregation stated that they never knew Peach State Roofing was there during the re-roofing project. Mount Carmel Christian School was nominated for the Sika Sarnafil 2008 project of the year for the absolute fact that master workmanship, creative abilities, and world-class performance achieved in the highest degree.


Peach State Roofing, Inc. – National Commercial Roofing Services
1-800-604-9309
www.PeachStateRoofingInc.com

Roofing 101: Types of Roofs

Single Ply Roofing
Single ply roofing has become the leading low slope option in commercial and industrial roofing. Single ply roofing benefits include low cost installation, reflectivity, and lack of use of non renewable resources. Single ply roofing is available in a wide variety of types, thickness, colors and installation methods.
  • TPO Roofing
    The fastest growing segment of commercial roofing. TPO membranes are the most economical solution. Seams of the TPO membranes are heat welded together with robotic welders for excellent water tightness.
  • PVC Roofing
    Benefits include great flexibility and excellent chemical resistance. Seams of PVC membranes are heat welded together with robotic welders for water tightness.
  • EPDM Roofing
    A long standing reliable option in low slope roofing. When installed and maintained properly, an EPDM roof may last well beyond its expected life. EPDM roofing is also able to be recycled.
Application Methods
  • Mechanically Fasten
    Membrane screws and plates are inserted at the seams of the membrane into the decking substrate.
  • Fully Adhere
    Membrane is attached to the substrate in full coverage of manufacture’s liquid adhesive.
  • Ballast
    Membrane is loose laid and held in place with coverage of ballast rock. Ballast is available in several color options allowing for decorative design options when desired.
  • Rhino Bond
    Specialized plates with membrane coating on top are installed through the substrate. The membrane is laid out on top and attached to the underlying plates with a magnetic welder.

Modified Bitumen Roofing
Also known as MBR, this is an asphalt based option that incorporates multiple layers of asphalt sheets attached by one of several options. Types of MBR include SBS and APP
Application Methods
  • Torch Down
    Requires the use of open flame torches to adhere multiple layers together.
  • Cold Applied
    Uses manufacturer’s asphalt based liquid adhesive in full coverage spread to adhere multiple layers together.
  • Hot Applied
    Uses hot tar in full coverage spread to adhere multiple layers together. This has the significant drawback of tar kettle fumes during the installation process.

Built Up Roofing
Also known as BUR, this is an asphalt based option that uses flood coats of hot asphalt, ply felt, and gravel surfacing.
BUR requires the use of tar kettles and results in significant amounts of fumes during the roofing process.

Decor Roofing
Decor Roofing is a process in which battens are heat welded on a finished membrane roofing system to give the appearance of a standing seam roofing system with the benefits of a single ply rooing system’s water tightness. Decor systems are available in a wide variety of stock and custom colors as well as can be installed in any design desired to create a one of a kind custom look. Decor roofing is an excellent option for reroofing standing seam domes.

Standing Seam Metal  Roofing
SSMR is available in a wide variety of manufacture’s styles and colors. SSMR is attached to a substrate using hidden clips and has either quick locking or mechanically seamed joints.

Peach State Roofing, Inc. – National Commercial Roofing Services
1-800-604-9309
www.PeachStateRoofingInc.com