Prepartion: The Key to Survival

by Jeff Johnson, Roof System Services

Mother Nature has come for her annual Florida vacation and this year she appears to have an attitude problem. Rainy Season 2009 has begun and it started with a vengeance. It seems like Mother Nature is trying to make up for the dry winter and pack the whole storm season into one month. May has already produced record amounts of precipitation; the storms that brought it were intensely fierce. Weve already had the first tropical depression! Thankfully the Hurricane forecast for the year is only slightly above average, but it appears we have a new twist to storms this year. Weather experts have now expressed concerns about a new trend. They fear storms are developing just off the US shores, rather than generating on the African coast and crossing the Atlantic Ocean. If this new phenomenon holds true it greatly complicates our ability to predict a storms path and lessens the warning time offered to residents. Im not saying that we have the storm prediction thing down to an exact science mind you. But when a hurricane takes 2 weeks to be born, mature and swim across the ocean we do have a bit more time to take action. I guess the only sure thing about Floridas storm season is its unpredictability. We should be thankful for the sudden arrival of the summer storms. It serves as a reminder to us all that we may not get much advance warning and that the time to prepare for a hurricane is before it makes landfall. Preparation of your roof system is essential. A roof in good condition is much better able to withstand the extreme conditions of a powerful storm; much more so than one which has been neglected. Minor maintenance items that you take for granted during the dry months can now be the difference between roof integrity and roof failure. Should the roof system fail even partially, the resulting damage to the interior of the structure can be catastrophic. Preparing your roof will stack the odds greatly in your favor of avoiding roof failure. Some of these preparations can be time consuming, so waiting until the day before landfall is not a wise course of action. Prepare your building early in the season. That way in the event of emergency you need only perform only simple inspections to verify your state of readiness. This allows time for any necessary repairs to be performed. However in order to repair your roof, you must first inspect it. To conduct a proper inspection you need to know what kind of conditions you are looking for and how a storm is going to exploit these conditions. Wind: Roof Enemy #1 The first danger a hurricane poses to your roof is extreme wind. This is a wind that pulses, attacks from varying angles and is unrelenting. It hammers away at your roof, looking for one small weakness to exploit. If the wind finds a way under the roof system it can cause total failure. Think of your roof as a complete system. Every detail, seam and lap is dependent on the others. If any one area fails it could cause a domino effect and literally bring the building down. In downtown areas, the air volume gets compacted in-between buildings

and causes a phenomenon know as the venturi effect. Like a massive river of water being forced thru a small dam opening, the velocity of the wind increases. The windforce and the damage it can inflict are greatly magnified. H2O..oh my! In addition to the damage caused by wind, hurricanes typically dump a phenomenal amount of rain. Water is surprisingly heavy. During the winter months in colder climates roof systems have collapsed due to the weight of the snow. By volume snow actually weighs less than water. One gallon of water weighs just about 8.33 lbs at about 60 degrees. It doesnt take a real stretch of the imagination to picture how much weight and pressure may be sitting on the roof during an intense rainstorm. For example, a 5,000 square foot building with a one foot high parapet wall if flooded could be carrying additional weight of approximately 5,000 cubic feet of water. At 62 lbs per cubic foot that comes out to 310,000 lbs., add that weight with 100 mph winds and think of the strain your roof and building is going thru. Any deficiency in your roof that might be a small leak under normal conditions is now a potential disaster. Mammoth water pressure exerted onto a small hole will force the opening wider, allowing more water into the structure and further compromising the roof system integrity. I would like to add that a good coating system can greatly increase a roofs ability to remain unscathed. A coating system forms a seamless watertight, monolithic barrier over the entire roof surface. It completely encapsulates your roof; denying wind and water the easy finger-hold needed with to start prying apart the roof components. Inspect the Details: The old expression Tight as a drum should be the rule of thumb when inspecting a roof for hurricane preparation. The tighter every nook and cranny is, the less chance hurricane force winds can find vulnerable spots in your roofs armor. I have included a checklist, which can be used to ensure all the essential components of your roof are sound. Roof Areas: Perimeter and Corners The perimeter and corners of a roof system are the most critical. Typically on a roof system that is mechanically fastened to the roof deck, the fastening pattern is greatly increased in these areas. This is where wind first hits a roof and the most direct path under the roof. If hurricane force winds can find a way under a roof edge, the entire roof system can be lifted up from the structure of the building. Some roofs are completely enclosed by a raised wall, some are wide open and others have combinations of both. If there is no parapet wall, ensure that the roof surface is completely adhered along the edges. Nowhere with your bare hands should you be able to

lift up the top membrane from the layers underneath. Typically this type of roof will have some type of edge metal running around the building perimeter. Ensure this metal is secure to the walls and lying as flat as possible. If the wind peels up this edge metal it can leave the roof edge extremely vulnerable. If the roof has a parapet wall, inspect the flashings where the roof surface joins the wall. These base flashings must be fully adhered as they lap over one another around the roof perimeter. Any lap or seam that you can squeeze a fingertip into can be torn open during a hurricane. Base flashings are most often terminated a short distance up the vertical wall by using a counter flashing of some sort. Ensure this termination is properly sealed and fastened tightly to the wall. If this termination flashing comes loose it could lead directly to the base flashings failing. Sometimes the roof surface membrane is run up completely up the parapet wall. If this is the case, inspect these wall flashing laps with the same scrutiny. The top of a parapet wall is often protected by a metal coping cap. This metal is comprised of individual sections that can be over 10 feet each in length. Each is attached to the wall and sealed together end to end. When inspecting the coping cap ensure it is not only tightly secured to the wall but also that the seams are sealed. This helps prevent the wind from tearing the coping cap off the wall. Unless your roof is a circular dome it is going to have corners where the parapet walls come together. If you look at the corners of your roof as you walk the perimeter you will notice that debris tends to gather here. If you look at any gravel topped roof, after a period of years you find a great build up of gravel in some of the corners. Yet other areas in field are almost bare of gravel, leaving the roof membranes exposed. On modified cap sheet roofs it is common to find piles of leaves and roof granules built up in the roof corners. As wind rips across the roof surface into the corners it forms a cyclone. As the wind slams into these corners with nowhere to go, the debris that was being carried along gets deposited there. As a result, the corners of the roof need to be inspected for any damage and repaired. Field The field of the roof is the largest area to inspect and prepare. All the seams and laps need to be checked and repaired as needed. Any tears, holes or defects in the surface membrane should be treated as well. In the field is where you will find all the penetrations such as vents, exhaust fans and AC units. The flashing on these penetrations must be as tightly adhered as the rest of the roof. Debris One of the most important things to check for on any roof is debris. Bottles, loose roof tile, boards or bricks all need to come off the roof surface. Ensure your roof is cleared of everything that does not belong there. I have seen people use their roof as a storage shed, packing away bundles of electrical cable, Holiday decorations, tools and ladders. Leaving debris such as this on a roof is negligent and inviting problems. Once a hurricane gets its hands on these items, it will use them as missiles. No matter how heavy or how light, the damage wind borne debris can cause is amazing. It can

punch holes into AC units, tear open roofs and shatter windows. Wind borne debris is also a self feeding monster, as everything it breaks in turn becomes another air torpedo. During this inspection time is a good time to become a nosey neighbor as well. Often the debris that inflicts damage didnt come from your roof, but one nearby. Look around at surrounding structures for possible problems. A plaza across the parking lot with broken or loose mansard tile is like looking down the barrel of a loaded shotgun. Roof Mounted Equipment and Projections This next group is what I like to call potential debris. Composed of things which probably belong on your roof, but if not secured properly could be real problems. Chiller Units, AC units, Electrical boxes all have lots of panels on them. They are nice flat pieces of metal, typically secured by multiple screws or bolts. If a panel comes loose in a hurricane you are faced with a three foot razor blade flying across your roof. These panels need to be fastened down tightly, with ALL of their screws. By decreasing the amount of fasteners you increase the load the remaining ones must bear. What about the AC unit itself? AC units need to be strapped down and secure. It does happen that an AC unit can be ripped up and rolled down the roof. HVAC ductwork needs to be checked to ensure it is secured. Abandoned AC units need to be removed from the roof and the vacant curbs covered properly. Things like satellite dishes and antennas should be taken down until after the storm passes. Very few of these are mounted securely enough to withstand hurricane force winds. Another big item to consider is signage. Take a close look at how signs are mounted to the roof and walls. A sub-category of potential debris, roof projections are also things that belong on your roof. Items like vents, soil stacks, unused equipment curbs, roof hatches and skylights all need to inspected. Stores like Dry Cleaners typically have multiple tall steam vents protruding from the roof surface. Properly securing these vents with cables can help resist high wind. Ensure roof hatch lock mechanisms are functionally sound and cannot come open during a storm. Drainage During a hurricane a clogged drainage system can cause a roof top to be flooded in minutes. In addition to the added weight concern we covered earlier, the rising water will also find ways into your building that the roof system cannot prevent. Water levels can rise over equipment curb, come down air vents and wreak untold havoc to the buildings interior. It is imperative that drainage systems be kept clear and unclogged of leaves and debris. Ensure that drain baskets are securely fastened down. If a drain basket comes lose it will allow debris to enter into the drainage system and clog the internal pipes. Gutters and downspouts as well must be kept clean. Ensure that gutters and downspouts are also firmly attached to the walls, so they dont come lose during a storm. It seems like a lot to consider. Especially when a storm that shares your mother-inlaws name (or father-in-law) is breathing down your neck. The key is to be ready long before the warning siren sounds. Most of the preparation is really just good maintenance. Keeping your roof well maintained makes preparing for a hurricane much easier.

Use the checklist shown as a reference, write down anything you notice. If in question call your roofing professional to evaluate and advise you on how to treat these areas, to best prepare for a coming storm. Many contractors will perform inspection services for a nominal fee or free of charge. Once you know the existing problems on your roof, get them rectified as soon as possible. Putting necessary repairs off is inviting disaster. In the long run it is much more economical to keep your roof in prime operating condition than it is to repair it from storm damage. They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure..when it comes to protecting your roof against a hurricane Id say its worth at least 62 pounds per cubic foot.