Throw Back Thursday Live 1953. With #RolfTheRoofingGuy

Throw Back Thursday, Live, 1953.
Why is your roof assembly design important?

When speaking with Building Owners today that need a roof, we find they are:
· Frustrated by the #supplychain issues, they can’t get materials.
· Concerned by labor shortages, they and their contractors can’t find help.
· Worried about inflation, they want to get a roof installed before prices go even higher.

These concerns are causing some to look at material product substitutions in their roof so the roof can be installed sooner, rather than later.

We spoke last week that some contractors are recommending assembly changes, and telling the owner it’s “all good” because they’ll provide a Contractors Long-Term warranty.

That misses the point: It’s not whether the roof will last 20 years, but is the roof assembly compliant with fire and wind resistance requirements?

Let’s go back to 1953, what happened at the GM Livonia Michigan transmission plant?
· A modern steel frame building had the roof mopped to the deck with bitumen.
· Mopping to the deck was common on pre-war concrete structures.
· 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”.

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

Rolf Snobeck, RRC
630-514-1867
#RolfTheRoofingGuy, Helping you make better #roofing (and #fireresistance) decisions.
Tecta America Commercial Roofing
rsnobeck@tectaamerica.com

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