Title: James D Cummins
1James D Cummins Company
Building Systems Consultants
- Introduction to a Roof Management Program
2Why do you need a Roof Management Program?
- The roof is the only portion of the building that
requires major rehabilitation periodically. - When examining the construction industry today,
the area of roofing stands out above all others
as being more problematic in quality of
craftsmanship, material performance, and the
total design system. - The volume of low-sloped roofing alone annually
installed in the United States totals about 3
billion square feet, enough to cover most large
cities nearly twice. - Of this vast volume, 4 to 5 percent fail
prematurely, according to surveys conducted for a
National Bureau of Standards report. - This same report notes that some industry experts
estimate a still higher failure rate. - Regardless of the precise percentage, roofing
failures constitute a major problem and a huge
economic burden on building owners plagued with
the high costs for repairs or tear-off
replacement.
3Premature Roofing Failures are Caused by Economic
and Technical Factors
- Economically, a buildings roof system normally
lags far behind the more architecturally
glamorous building subsystems competing for the
building owners money. Penny-wise,
dollar-foolish decisions underlie many premature
roofing failures. - Technically, some of the factors contributing to
premature roof failures can be listed as follows - The extraordinary rigors of roof performance
requirements - Proliferation of new materials
- Complexity of roof system designs
- Expanding roof dimensions
- Field applications problems
- The modern trend toward more flexible buildings
4Roofs Must Withstand a Much Broader Attack from
Natural Forces than Other Building Components
- In some parts of the continental United States,
roof surfaces experience annual temperature
changes exceeding 200 degrees F and daily changes
exceed 100 degrees F. These temperature changes
can occur rapidly, as when a summer shower
suddenly cools the sun-baked membrane surface.
Solar radiation heats the roof to extraordinary
temperatures, up to 180 degrees F for black
surfaces. This heat greatly accelerates
photochemical deterioration. Rain, snow, sleet
and hailstones pound the roof acid mists and
other airborne pollutants even fungus attack
the roof.
5New decks, insulation, vapor retarders, membrane
and flashing materials, used in countless
combinations has complicated the
field-manufacturing process and the designers
job of evaluating durability.Until a material
has been field tested in service, its durability
remains highly unpredictable. Accelerated
laboratory tests are better than nothing, but
in-service performance is essential for proving a
materials durability. Some materials enter the
roofing market lacking even laboratory testing.
Proliferation of New Roof Materials
6Many Materials are Satisfactory in Themselves,
but Prove Disastrous When Incorporated With Others
- Incompatible materials in built-up roof systems.
Insulation generally raises the probability of
condensation entrapment within the roofing
system. The threat of condensation entrapment in
turn creates the possible need for another roof
component, a vapor retarder designed to intercept
the flow of water vapor into the insulation,
where it can cause membrane ridging, aggravated
blistering, and destruction of the insulation
itself. The vapor retarder may create the need
for venting the insulation. And so it goes, with
each solution creating its own sub-problems.
7Roof Designers Must Never Consider a Component in
Isolation
- Roof Designers must always investigate the
compatibility of all components with other
materials and its effects on the whole system. -
- Far more important than the quality of the
individual materials, are their design and
installation as compatible components of an
integrated system.
8Roofing Industry Lags in the Promulgation of
Installation Standards and Test Methods
- Instead of focusing on the whole field
manufactured roof system, the true guide to
roofing system performance, the industry has
concentrated on the component-material quality. - Except for the fire and wind up-lift resistance,
there are no generally accepted tests for
performance of the entire built-up roof system
assembly from these components.
9We Oversee the Demise of the Old Roof as well as
the Specification of a New Roof
- As a consultant, we serve as both the
pediatrician and the undertaker. - In this role, we are now beginning to receive
ample opportunity to develop programs to improve
the inventory of thousands of square miles of
roof. - With you, the building caretakers working with
us, we should be able to achieve our goals of
improving the life and performance of your roofs.
10Benefits of a Planned Roof Program
- Identify, define, and prioritize your roofing
needs. - Establish your work scope.
- Eliminate crisis roof management and risks.
- Create your long-term plan of action.
- Maintain and upgrade your roof needs annually.
- Improve the overall protection of your roofs
through a scheduled, defined, and itemized
maintenance needs program.
11- Reduce your roof maintenance cost through
accurate repair identification methods. - Reduce your overall life cycle costs and extend
roof service life. - Provide a management tool for
- justification of action
- short and long-term budgeting
- asset improvements
- The program pays for itself, therefore, it saves
money.
12Development of a Roof Management Program must
include
- Roof management philosophy, program roles, and
responsibilities. - Setting up a roofing database.
- Inspecting and rating the relative condition of
all roofs and the decision making process of
repair versus re-roof. - Detailed step-by-step procedures for repair and
replacement. - Quality assurance controls and inspections for
on-going projects. - On-going training programs and on-going roof
sections.
13James D. Cummins Company
Building Systems Consultants