Study Shows that 4
Out of Every 5 Roof Leaks Will Not Be Properly
Fixed by a Roofing Contractor
(The following article is a
reprint from the Roofing Solutions Magazine)
Many 'roof' leaks are caused
by mechanical equipment
BY
STEVEN A. MANDZIK, RRC, CDT
As the in-house roof consultant
in charge of more than 12 million square feet of roofing for a large
property owner, I've had the advantage of managing the same roofs for
many years.
My associate and I have walked
each of 400 roofs yearly to review their condition, specify repairs,
reroof when necessary and inspect the completed work. Naturally, I've
become familiar with what works and what doesn't work, where leaks come
from, and most importantly, why they are many times never fixed.
Tracking the leaks
Thanks to a sophisticated
property management department that tracks leak calls from more than
1,600 tenants, we have kept records on where roofers found leaks and
what repairs where made. Most building owners would be surprised about
what they are sending roofers out to fix (see chart below). Amazingly,
only 21% of these leaks came from the roof.
Unfortunately the roof is a
working platform and drop spot for every construction trade
(mechanical, electrical, plumbing, etc.), and many times the equipment
itself is not waterproof. This often leads to roof leaks; maybe not
immediately, but sometimes years later, when the warranty has run out.
Tenants incorrectly assume that
all wet ceiling tiles mean roof leaks, but in reality, it is often
rooftop equipment that is no longer waterproof, not the roof membrane.
So a roofer is called to look at the roof, while mechanical, electrical
and plumbing contractors remain blissfully unaware of the equipment
problems.
This dilemma is compounded on
poorly maintained roofs where there are always roof problems to fix and
nothing else is considered. Even on maintained roofs, roofers still
look for roof problems and make repairs to anything in the vicinity,
thinking the "roof leak" is solved. Meanwhile, air-conditioning units
or skylights continue to take in water.
Roofers
have typically concentrated on roofing only, not mechanical, electrical
or plumbing. Consequently,
they are untrained in these areas. Many times they are told directly by
their management not to inspect or repair rooftop equipment for fear of
liability, or simple lack of know-how. When calling in the non-roofing
trades to fix the equipment problems, finger pointing is often the
result. The building manager owner is then left in an impossible
situation.
However, we are seeing a few
knowledgeable, full-service roof contracting companies that are
offering maintenance programs that take rooftop equipment problems into
consideration. Their crews may not be able to fix all the leaks, but
they are adept at discovering and then documenting them for the other
trades.
Right now there's an open
market for any smart roofing entrepreneur who knows what building
owners really need. A few are answering this call [Bright Roofing
& Building Restoration being one of them]. RSI
----------------
Author Steven A. Mandzik is a
Registered Roof Consultant and holds a CDT certificate from the
Construction Specifications Institute. He provides roof surveys, reroof
specifications, management and consulting for the roof consulting
department of a large property owner.
Mandzik was a senior consultant
with a national roof consulting firm for more than nine years and a
roofing contractor prior to consulting. He was also senior roofing
manager for a nationwide property management company for more than 12
years and has 31 years of construction experience on a variety of
roofing systems. Mandzik is a member of the Roof Consultants Institute
(RCI) and the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO). |
