Why are roof systems tested and rated? With #RolfTheRoofingGuy

Why are roof systems tested and rated?
Why do some insurance companies have rigid requirements?
It’s all about cause and effect.
Let’s look at history: The General Motor Livonia Michigan fire of 1953.
· A modern steel frame building had the roof mopped to the metal deck with bitumen.
· Mopping to the deck was common on pre-war concrete structures (but not to metal decks).
· A small fire broke out, and was almost extinguished with fire extinguishers.
· But burning lube oil, in a tray below the roof deck, heated the deck and the roof bitumen.
· The bitumen melted and started dripping into the building.
· The dripping bitumen was “raining fire” across the plant.
· A 1.5 million square foot building was destroyed in 40 minutes.

In that case, using old roof technology on a modern building resulted in unintended consequences.

The impacts of the roof assembly had not been “thought through”, and relates to why roof assemblies are tested today.

If the foregoing resonates with you and you’d like to learn more about selecting the right roof system assembly for your building, that meets the needed fire and wind resistance requirements, let me know.

My name is Rolf, AKA #RolfTheRoofingGuy, Helping you make better #roofing (and #fireresistance) decisions.
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