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I've had a few "ice dams" on my domicile this winter. The pattern of heavy snow, followed by an incomplete melt, followed by the deep freeze seems to be happening more than usual this winter.
But not one drop of water has leaked inside the old love shack.
The revered Mr. Awtell had to listen to complaints during the opening as the water began leaking in after a prolonged spell of sub-zero weather. Seeing that everything in the gym, including the floor was thoroughly soaked, the community directed their bitter complaint against him. The next morning, he lost no time in sending the staff to set up fans and seek out the contractors to repair the leaky roof. Soon after the repairs were done, one fine and sunny day succeeded another for a whole month. Morning and evening, Rory would look up at the roof and sigh: "It is just my hapless fate. No more rain right after I've got my roof fixed. What a waste of (taxpayer) money!"
I heard this Q & A took place at a recent PD meeting:
Q: Why don't you fix the leaking roof immediately? A: We can't fix the roof right now because it's raining. Q: Why don't you fix it when it stops raining? A: Because then it doesn't leak!
There's a fifty-fifty chance our new gym floor is ruined before it's opened. Our indoor soccer field can't be used unless we want to risk some fan getting hit in the head.
what was really surprising was that we only get a one year warranty on this.
If it is a peaked roof, Ice and water shield is typically only used the first 3' up from the eave (depending on pitch), and 18" to either side of a valley. You can lap sheets of I&W, but you are still vulnerable to having water or ice push up under the seam.. which is why a 12" lap is typically standard. You typically do not use I&W on a flat surface, nor will it adhere properly to s metal deck... only wood or DensDeck type material. It is very rare to see an entire pitched roof covered with I&W though. I have only seen it spec'ed once, and even then it was changed by the architect. You would never want to cover the whole roof with it.. it is ridiculously sticky and when you go to replace the roof, you have to replace the I&W shield and the substrate below.
If it is a flat roof, you typically put down an EPDM sheet which is then heat sealed and tarred at the seams, with a continuous lap up the parapet wall. It's tricky to get put down correctly, but as Jombl said... it shouldn't leak. A flat roof will typically have 4 layers... metal deck, insulation (tapered or otherwise. I have never seen a spray applied application... although I have been out of commercial roofing for over a year), and EPDM cover (typically 2 layer) and then a ballast layer. The tapered insulation is also pretty expensive... a flat roof is never actually "flat" as you still have to pitch to roof drains. The tapered stuff is a pain.. goes down on sections, and each section has a specific location it has to go. Lot's of design and layout time. 99% of the time a flat roof leaks because someone poked a hole through the membrane, or because the installer didn't get the sealant hot enough and didn't get the seams sealed properly.
If done properly, in theory you should be able to plug the roof drains and turn the roof into a big swimming pool. In theory of course as the roof would likely collapse from the weight!
I forget what we averaged for supply and install... but I want to say on a basic roof it was around.. maybe $10 to $15 a square foot? Something like that.. I didn't do the pricing, just the take-offs.
Dins.... it sounds like a joke, but it sort of true. Where the water is penetrating could be a long way from where the leak is appearing inside. But for Gods sake... what's a little rain. The guys looking to fix it ain't gonna melt.
Taxpayer... 1 year on labor is pretty standard in the industry. Some companies like Riddeford will offer a longer warranty, but you are going to pay for it. Material warranties are a joke. For example, you may put a 30 year shingle on your house... if it fails the manufacturer will come out, determine the quantity to replace, pro-rate the cost for how much use you got out of them, and then drop the replacement material in your driveway. It's still up to you to get it installed on your dime. It's one of the ugly little secrets of roofing.
US4.... what is really sad about this? Roofs leak. New roofs leak... especially flat roofs Everyone knows this. When we would install a new roof often you would find an area that leaked within a few days. Which is no biggie... it's expected and you go back and fix it. Nothing is perfect 100% of the time. But the question I would have is, who would put in an expensive wood floor under an apparently untested roof? It sounds to me like it was a rush to completion issue...
The roof has been on that building for months. How long are you supposed to "test" the roof before you put the floor down? Metal standing seam roofs perform much differently than a conventional roof. Although this type of roof is pretty reliable, ice damming can reak havoc on these roofs if not treated properly. You can't always predict where it will occur. Sometimes you just have to wait until it happens and then treat that specific area.
I had not realized it was standing seam... but yuppers.. you are absolutly correct. Sometimes you have to wait and see. Especially considering a metal roof will expand and contract due to temperature changes.
