PROOF PointsPROVEN TECHNIQUES, TIPS & UPDATES

in this issue

BENCHMARK-INC.COM

PROVEN.

ROOF AND PAVEMENT CONSULTANTS

1 CommercialRoofing Warranties

2 EssentialElementsof QualityPavement RehabilitationDesign

6 HowCanYourNext RoofingProjectHelpFight Pollution

8 ObservationsfromtheField

Commercial Roofing WarrantiesWarranty 101, Installment 1 of 3 By Curtis Liscum, RRC, RRO Senior Consultant

AUGUST 2021| VOLUME 97

continued on page 4

Commercialroofwarranties–aretheyfactorfiction,aretheygoodorbad,andmoreimportantly–aretheyevenworththepapertheyareprintedon?Arecommercialroofwarrantiesjust“marketingtools”offeredbyroofingmaterialmanufacturersorinstallingroofingcontractorstosellroofingproductsandroofingprojects,oraretheyanessentialpartofaroofingproject?Inaseriesofinstallments,thisarticlewilldiscussvariouselementsofacommercialroofwarrantyofferedforlow-slopecommercialroofingprojects.Wewillspendmostofourtimediscussinglong-termstandardwarrantiesofferedbyroofingmaterialmanufacturers,butwillalsodeliberateonshort-terminstallingroofingcontractorwarranties.

Inthis,thefirstinstallment,wewillprovideguidanceinidentifyingwhothewarrantoris,aswellasdiscusswarrantydefinitions,history,types,andtypicalcoverage.Inthesecondinstallment,wewilldiscusstypicalwarrantyexclusions/limitations,remedies,

addenda/riders,buildingownerresponsibilities,andwarrantydurationsandforms.Inthethirdandfinalinstallment,wewilldiscusswarrantytransfers,therelationshipbetweentheroofmaterialmanufacturer/authorizedcontractor,typicalinstallingcontractorwarranties,warrantyfees,andawarrantystrategyforbuildingowners.

Allcommercialroofwarrantiesavailablefromvariousroofingmaterialmanufacturersaredifferent.Theymayhavesimilarcoverage,terms,limitationsandexclusions,butitisimperativethatyoureadaspecimencopyverycloselyandunderstandthecoverage,limitsofliability,listofexclusions,andtheowner’sresponsibilities.Warrantiescanprovidelimitedassurancestotheownerindicatingtheroofwillperformasintendedandcanbeanintegralpartofthebuildingriskmanagementplan,butareofmostvalueifyouunderstandthetruebenefitsandlimitationsofthedocuments.

Acommercialroofwarrantyisacontractualrelationshipbetweenthewarrantorand

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3

PROOF PointsAUGUST 2021| VOLUME 97

Essential Elements of Quality Pavement Rehabilitation Design By Troy Kaiser Senior Consultant

Essential elements for the development of a quality pavement rehabilitation design include pavement history, surface and subsurface drainage, traffic usage, material selection, and required strength of the pavement system. If any of these are excluded from the development of the design, the expected performance and life span of the pavement could be adversely affected.

HISTORY

The first step in the development of a quality pavement rehabilitation design is to find out as much about the existing pavement system as possible. Original construction documents are a good start, but they are not always readily available or accurate. Field changes may have been completed and not documented by the contractor or owner’s representative. A better indication of existing conditions is through geotechnical exploration. Boring into the pavement and subgrade to obtain core samples provides critical details such as the type and thickness of

materials installed, the subgrade soil types, and whether there are signs of water or excess moisture. Because cores provide only a snapshot of the location, the more cores taken, the more accurate the data will be.

DRAINAGE

Drainage, both surface and subsurface, must be considered for a quality pavement design. If the surface drainage is not easily confirmed, a site survey

should be done to determine areas of poor drainage, which should be redesigned to drain properly. This may be accomplished by changing existing grades or installing additional

drainage structures and associated storm sewer. Standing water on new pavement is unacceptable as it will cause premature deterioration of the pavement and may be an icing hazard in colder climates. If geotechnical exploration indicates moisture is present under the pavement structure, the design must include items to remove subsurface water from the pavement system. These items could include a free-draining base layer, underdrain, or a combination of the two. Subsurface water causes the

subgrade and subbase to be unstable; therefore, keeping the pavement structure dry will ensure it performs as expected.

TRAFFIC

Understanding the current or planned traffic usage is very important during the design phase. Loading on a pavement varies greatly depending on the intended use. For example, the load on a tennis court is far less than the load on a parking lot for cars or a trucking area. In the design process, the load a pavement will be subjected to is used to determine the strength needed to support the load. It should be noted that although a pavement for pedestrian use (such as a walking path or running track) will have low loading numbers, the design load needs to be robust enough to support construction equipment during the rehabilitation process.

MATERIALS

The selection of materials is another key component for quality design as different materials have different strength factors and performance characteristics. For the subbase, a crushed limestone or recycled concrete may be a better option than locally available gravels. For the pavement, asphalt may be a better choice than concrete or vice versa, depending on the usage. Simply specifying a generic asphalt or concrete pavement

is not enough information for a project. The specific type of concrete/asphalt mix chosen for a design is very important as each mix has different properties or additives that perform better in certain situations/climates.

STRENGTH

The basic goal of any pavement design is to construct a pavement system where the subgrade, subbase, and pavement work together to carry the expected traffic loading. This is achieved by analyzing information regarding the soil conditions and expected traffic loads as well as the performance of the selected subbase and pavement materials. It can then be calculated whether the proposed design will support the expected traffic over the desired life span. In addition to the subbase and surface materials, the designer can explore incorporating additional items such as soil stabilizer additives, subgrade fabrics, geogrid reinforcement layers, or paving fabrics for pavement structure improvements. There are several computer programs that allow the designer to simulate a pavement system’s performance using a variety of materials and thicknesses to determine the

most cost-effective design that also achieves the design goals of the pavement system. During the design process, there may also be an opportunity to use in-place recycling techniques to improve the design while reducing costs. These techniques may include pulverizing the old asphalt and concrete for use as base materials and are often used in large-scale projects. They may not be cost effective or constructable for smaller projects.

There are many options when it comes to the essential elements of a rehabilitation design, and it can be a bit overwhelming if you are not familiar with the process. We hope you take the time to consider all the elements to ensure you get a cost-effective, long-lasting pavement.

Have questions or need more information?

Contact Troy Kaiser at TKaiser@benchmark-inc.com

PROOF Points

54

AUGUST 2021| VOLUME 97

Commercial Roofing Warranties (continued)

building owner and therefore, like any contract, the terms and conditions of the contract can be subject to negotiation. Warrantors may “easily” negotiate some terms (like legal jurisdiction), but other terms (like hail damage coverage) may come at a considerable cost or require changes in the roof’s construction. Some terms may not be open for negotiation. Like any business relationship, the better the relationship, the better chance you have for discussions regarding changes to the roofing material manufacturer’s standard warranty.

DEFINITIONS

To make sure we are all on the same page, we will define some of the terms used in conjunction with commercial roof warranties.

• Commercial Roof Warranty – contractual relationship between a roofing material manufacturer or installing roofing contractor and property owner. This type of warranty guarantees the roof will perform according to the defined specifications for the stated period of time, and also defines remedies if the roof doesn’t perform.

• Warrantor/Warranty Holder – entity that is promising the remedy as defined in the commercial roof warranty. This could be a roofing

material manufacturer or the installing roofing contractor.

• Building Owner: – legally defined owner of the building at the time of roof installation.

• Installing Contractor – licensed roofing contractor, authorized by the roofing material manufacturer, who installed the roof covered by the commercial roof warranty.

• Completion Date/Warranty Start Date – starting date of the commercial roof warranty; usually the date of acceptance by the roofing material manufacturer, but could be the date of substantial completion or project acceptance date if part of a new construction project.

• Form of Warranty – defines coverage, terms, limitation and remedies of the agreement.

• Warranty Term/Duration – period of time the warrantor promises remedies to covered claims.

WARRANTY HISTORY

Commercial roof warranties have not always been as we know them today. When I first started in this industry in the mid 1970’s, most commercial

buildings had aggregate-surfaced, multi-ply, asphalt built-up roofs. Completed roofing projects did not come with commercial roof warranties, but instead were backed by bonds. These bonds were much more limited and backed by insurance or surety companies, and not roofing material manufacturers. Many building owners incorrectly believed the roof bond was a warranty, but instead, it was a promise by the surety to cover the cost of specified remedies up to a fixed amount of the bond. If the required roof repairs exceeded the value of the bond, building owners were left to make up the difference. This led to a feeling of distrust in both roofing contractors and material manufacturers.

Although up for a bit of debate, today’s commercial roof warranties seem to have originated with the introduction of single-ply roofing membranes in the late 1970’s. Some single-ply products were introduced in the 1960’s, but they really took off because of the oil embargo in the early 1970’s. Almost immediately, the petroleum-related materials needed to make built-up roofs became scarce and expensive, and the quality of aggregate-surfaced multi-ply asphalt built-up roofs plummeted.

The new synthetic single-ply

roofing market quickly became a hot commodity. The problem; however, was that this new single-ply membrane was radical, new, and unproven. Single-ply membrane roof systems had no performance history to make building owners feel confident they would last. Single-ply roofing material manufacturers needed to assure building owners that this new product would provide the performance promised. Thus, the modern commercial roof warranty was born. Most roof warranties started with 10-year terms. As single-ply membrane roofs became more common and trusted through the 1980’s, coverage periods were extended to 15 years, and then finally to today’s standard 20-year warranty (with some material manufacturers offering 20+ year warranties).

WARRANTY TYPES

There are two types of warranties in the commercial low-sloped roofing business, expressed and implied. The commercial roof warranty is an example of an expressed warranty, it expressly defines the extent of responsibility and the limits of liability of the warrantor. It is a written contract between the warrantor and building owner. An expressed warranty not only defines what the warrantor will or will not do in the case of a claim, but also what the building owner is required to do to keep the warranty intact.

Implied warranties are defined by the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). According to the UCC, for every manufactured product brought to market, the manufacturer implies that the product is fit for its intended use. If a manufacturer produces roofing materials, the implied warranty under the UCC states that the materials will be serviceable as a roof and will keep the building dry if installed as instructed by the manufacturer on a building that is suitable for the roof installation. The roofing manufacturer has implied that its roof system will function as a roof if designed and installed correctly. An expressed warranty may attempt to negate the UCC by stating that the written warranty supersedes any other warranty, “written or implied.” Restoration from an implied warranty would most likely require legal or court action because it generally involves interpretation of a statement or marketing brochure.

WARRANTORS

In the case of a commercial roof warranty there are two different entities that may provide a warranty; the roofing material manufacturer and the installing roofing contractor. The roofing material manufacturer’s warranty is the expressed warranty discussed and may have warranty terms from 5 to 20+ years, with the most common terms of 10 or 20 years.

The installing roofing contractor’s warranty is generally short-term (2 to 5 years) in duration and will generally only repair the roof to make it watertight if the causing problems are associated with the contractor’s installation workmanship.

COVERAGE

Most commercial roof warranties provide remedies for watertightness, provided the cause of the leak is a covered event. Warranties do not stop or protect against leaks. Warranties are reactive in remedy and not a replacement for a proactive preventive maintenance program (that we will discuss in a latter installment). Commercial roof warranties do not cover any consequential damages to other building components or contents of the building, nor do they provide any coverage for lost time or production resulting from a leak. Warranties generally do not cover color or aesthetic concerns and do not cover defects that do not cause roof leaks (for example blisters).

Most standard commercial roof warranties only cover products sold or authorized by the roofing material manufacturer, and in most cases, only cover the roof and flashing membrane and products listed on the warranty. Therefore, unless added by an addendum or rider (that we will discuss in a latter installment), warranties generally do not

continued on page 8

6 7

PROOF PointsAUGUST 2021| VOLUME 97

How Can Your Next Roofing Project Help Fight Smog Pollution By Curtis Liscum, RRC, RRO Senior Consultant

Almost half of the world’s population lives in an area of unhealthy air. “Smog” is a term coined in 1905 by a London, England physician as he described the result of a combination of smoke and fog. Today it refers to a mixture of pollutants made up mostly of ground level ozone.

In 1948, a California Institute of Technology chemist identified ozone as a component of Los Angeles smog. He went on to discover that nitrogen oxides from automotive exhausts and gaseous hydrocarbons from cars and oil refineries, exposed to sunlight, were key ingredients in the formation of ozone and photochemical smog.

Smog, or air pollution, is a silent killer present across the globe. The World Health Organization estimates about seven million people die every year from exposure to these fine particulates located in polluted air. The pollutant, which comes largely from automotive emissions and industrial facilities, leads to thousands of premature deaths worldwide because of a variety of respiratory illnesses. Depending on which scientist you believe, the condition is either getting better or worse, but what we know for sure is that it is not going away.

Plants improve air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen through photosynthesis. This natural

smog fighting ability can be significantly hampered with the loss of plant life such as after a wildfire or major wind event like the August 2020 Derecho that impacted the Midwest. Estimates indicate that about 50 percent of the tree canopy was destroyed in my Iowa hometown area during the Derecho storm last August, which is anticipated to have a dramatic impact on air quality in our region for many years to come.

So, what does this have to do with roofing? How can your next roofing project help fight smog and air pollution? A Minnesota-based manufacturer has developed a granular material that can be used

as a surfacing material for shingles and modified bitumen membranes. When exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, the photocatalytic coating on this granular material breaks down smog particles (nitrogen oxides) into water-soluble ions that can be safely washed away with rain. The water-soluble ion is nitrate salt (NO3), which is a plant-usable salt that is important for plant growth and a main ingredient in most commercial fertilizers. By breaking the harmful particles down into fuel for plant growth, the surfacing provides a compounded benefit in boosting photosynthesis in plant life located around/near the building.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory testing validated that photocatalytic materials used in smog-reducing granules can reduce smog and contribute to cleaner air. The photocatalytic activity is constant when exposed to ultraviolet light, so smog-reduction activity is a continuous process and does not lessen over the life of the roofing material.

Because these smog-reducing granules are a surfacing material applied to already time-tested membranes, roof system performance or longevity should be the same as products manufactured with “standard” granule surfacing materials. Additionally, these

enhanced membranes can be installed using industry standard methods already employed by professional roofing contractors located across the country.

With the current industry turmoil and supply chain shortages, it is difficult to get a firm price comparison between standard material and material surfaced with the smog-reducing granules. It appears the upcharge per roll of modified bitumen membrane would be about 25 to 35 percent. This does not equate to an overall project increase of that amount, just an increase in the cost of one ply of multi-ply membrane of the roof assembly.

So how effective are the granules at reducing smog? According to industry studies, the average house with smog reducing granule-surfaced shingles has the capacity to reduce smog equivalent to the impact of 2 to 3 mature trees. A 100 square (10,000 SF) low sloped roof with a smog reducing granule-surfaced modified bitumen membrane can have similar smog reducing capabilities as approximately 60 mature trees, which would lessen the impact of about 4,000 miles of driving.

Currently we were unable to find any mandated building or energy code requirements or any local, state, or federal incentives to install a roof with smog reducing capabilities. Just like reflectivity, thermal insulation, and storm water retention, it may

only be a matter of time before smog reduction is included in this group of sustainable endeavors. For now, it is one of the sustainable or green options just starting to come of age.

As of the writing of this article, there is one shingle manufacturer and three (3) modified bitumen manufacturers offering materials with this smog reducing surfacing. To find out more about the availability of products or how they can be incorporated into your next roofing project, please contact Benchmark.

SMOG-REDUCING GRANULE- SURFACED MODIFIED BITUMEN MEMBRANE BEING INSTALLED AT THE DALLAS-FORT WORTH AIRPORT. PHOTO COURTESY OF SOPREMA.

Questions? Contact Curtis Liscum at

CLiscum@benchmark-inc.com

8

PROOF Points

PROVEN.

AUGUST 2021| VOLUME 97

Issue:

The morning following a rain day, the Contractor’s foreman was not expecting Benchmark to be on site for observation. The Benchmark Field Consultant arrived and observed the crew installing wet insulation over a corroded and damaged steel deck. The insulation was improperly staggered and the deck flutes had not been cleaned prior to laying the insulation.

Solution:

Benchmark asked the foreman why his crew was installing wet insulation and he admitted they were trying to get rid of it. Upon learning this, Benchmark reminded the foreman of good roofing practices, stressing the importance of installing only quality materials that had been properly stored. The crew supervisor was contacted

Observations from the FieldFull-time Observation Prevents Contractor Short Cuts

and later visited the project site to ensure all wet insulation was removed. Likewise, all damaged decking was addressed, either repaired and/or replaced, and ultimately dry insulation was properly installed.

Possible Impact:

Had wet insulation remained in place, the steel deck would have continued to corrode, creating a potentially unsafe condition on the roof and over the interior space below. In

WET INSULATION BEING INSTALLED.

include insulation, cover boards, vapor barriers, or other non-membrane components.

Generally speaking, commercial roof warranties cover leaks that develop due to a workmanship or product defect, provided that the roof is installed by a roofing material manufacturer’s authorized contractor.

Most commercial roof warranties are enforced

once a signed original of the document is delivered to the owner. A few roofing material manufacturers require the building owner to acknowledge receipt and return a signed copy to the manufacturer within a specified time period (generally three months). Most warranties are not active until all costs of roof installation, both installing contractor labor and materials, have been paid.

In the next installment, we will discuss typical warranty exclusions/limitations, remedies, addenda/riders, building owner responsibilities, and warranty durations and forms.

Have questions or need more information?

Contact Curtis Liscum at CLiscum@benchmark-inc.com

Commercial Roofing Warranties (continued)

addition, areas with bad deck and wet insulation could be at a greater risk for advanced deterioration and damage from wind events. Further, through the proper (staggered) installation of insulation boards, the roof system will reduce thermal bridging gaps and drastically reduce losses at the seam joints.

CORRODED AND DIRTY DECK BEING INSTALLED UPON WITHOUT CLEANING AND REPAIR.

ROOF AND PAVEMENT CONSULTANTS

319.393.9100 BENCHMARK-INC.COM

ROOF DIVISION 6065 HUNTINGTON COURT NE CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA 52402

PAVEMENT DIVISION 2110 PEWAUKEE ROAD, SUITE D WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN 53188

ROOF AND PAVEMENT CONSULTANTS

3

PROOF PointsAUGUST 2021| VOLUME 97

Essential Elements of Quality Pavement Rehabilitation Design By Troy Kaiser Senior Consultant

Essential elements for the development of a quality pavement rehabilitation design include pavement history, surface and subsurface drainage, traffic usage, material selection, and required strength of the pavement system. If any of these are excluded from the development of the design, the expected performance and life span of the pavement could be adversely affected.

HISTORY

The first step in the development of a quality pavement rehabilitation design is to find out as much about the existing pavement system as possible. Original construction documents are a good start, but they are not always readily available or accurate. Field changes may have been completed and not documented by the contractor or owner’s representative. A better indication of existing conditions is through geotechnical exploration. Boring into the pavement and subgrade to obtain core samples provides critical details such as the type and thickness of

materials installed, the subgrade soil types, and whether there are signs of water or excess moisture. Because cores provide only a snapshot of the location, the more cores taken, the more accurate the data will be.

DRAINAGE

Drainage, both surface and subsurface, must be considered for a quality pavement design. If the surface drainage is not easily confirmed, a site survey

should be done to determine areas of poor drainage, which should be redesigned to drain properly. This may be accomplished by changing existing grades or installing additional

drainage structures and associated storm sewer. Standing water on new pavement is unacceptable as it will cause premature deterioration of the pavement and may be an icing hazard in colder climates. If geotechnical exploration indicates moisture is present under the pavement structure, the design must include items to remove subsurface water from the pavement system. These items could include a free-draining base layer, underdrain, or a combination of the two. Subsurface water causes the

subgrade and subbase to be unstable; therefore, keeping the pavement structure dry will ensure it performs as expected.

TRAFFIC

Understanding the current or planned traffic usage is very important during the design phase. Loading on a pavement varies greatly depending on the intended use. For example, the load on a tennis court is far less than the load on a parking lot for cars or a trucking area. In the design process, the load a pavement will be subjected to is used to determine the strength needed to support the load. It should be noted that although a pavement for pedestrian use (such as a walking path or running track) will have low loading numbers, the design load needs to be robust enough to support construction equipment during the rehabilitation process.

MATERIALS

The selection of materials is another key component for quality design as different materials have different strength factors and performance characteristics. For the subbase, a crushed limestone or recycled concrete may be a better option than locally available gravels. For the pavement, asphalt may be a better choice than concrete or vice versa, depending on the usage. Simply specifying a generic asphalt or concrete pavement

is not enough information for a project. The specific type of concrete/asphalt mix chosen for a design is very important as each mix has different properties or additives that perform better in certain situations/climates.

STRENGTH

The basic goal of any pavement design is to construct a pavement system where the subgrade, subbase, and pavement work together to carry the expected traffic loading. This is achieved by analyzing information regarding the soil conditions and expected traffic loads as well as the performance of the selected subbase and pavement materials. It can then be calculated whether the proposed design will support the expected traffic over the desired life span. In addition to the subbase and surface materials, the designer can explore incorporating additional items such as soil stabilizer additives, subgrade fabrics, geogrid reinforcement layers, or paving fabrics for pavement structure improvements. There are several computer programs that allow the designer to simulate a pavement system’s performance using a variety of materials and thicknesses to determine the

most cost-effective design that also achieves the design goals of the pavement system. During the design process, there may also be an opportunity to use in-place recycling techniques to improve the design while reducing costs. These techniques may include pulverizing the old asphalt and concrete for use as base materials and are often used in large-scale projects. They may not be cost effective or constructable for smaller projects.

There are many options when it comes to the essential elements of a rehabilitation design, and it can be a bit overwhelming if you are not familiar with the process. We hope you take the time to consider all the elements to ensure you get a cost-effective, long-lasting pavement.

Have questions or need more information?

Contact Troy Kaiser at TKaiser@benchmark-inc.com

PROOF Points

54

AUGUST 2021| VOLUME 97

Commercial Roofing Warranties (continued)

building owner and therefore, like any contract, the terms and conditions of the contract can be subject to negotiation. Warrantors may “easily” negotiate some terms (like legal jurisdiction), but other terms (like hail damage coverage) may come at a considerable cost or require changes in the roof’s construction. Some terms may not be open for negotiation. Like any business relationship, the better the relationship, the better chance you have for discussions regarding changes to the roofing material manufacturer’s standard warranty.

DEFINITIONS

To make sure we are all on the same page, we will define some of the terms used in conjunction with commercial roof warranties.

• Commercial Roof Warranty – contractual relationship between a roofing material manufacturer or installing roofing contractor and property owner. This type of warranty guarantees the roof will perform according to the defined specifications for the stated period of time, and also defines remedies if the roof doesn’t perform.

• Warrantor/Warranty Holder – entity that is promising the remedy as defined in the commercial roof warranty. This could be a roofing

material manufacturer or the installing roofing contractor.

• Building Owner: – legally defined owner of the building at the time of roof installation.

• Installing Contractor – licensed roofing contractor, authorized by the roofing material manufacturer, who installed the roof covered by the commercial roof warranty.

• Completion Date/Warranty Start Date – starting date of the commercial roof warranty; usually the date of acceptance by the roofing material manufacturer, but could be the date of substantial completion or project acceptance date if part of a new construction project.

• Form of Warranty – defines coverage, terms, limitation and remedies of the agreement.

• Warranty Term/Duration – period of time the warrantor promises remedies to covered claims.

WARRANTY HISTORY

Commercial roof warranties have not always been as we know them today. When I first started in this industry in the mid 1970’s, most commercial

buildings had aggregate-surfaced, multi-ply, asphalt built-up roofs. Completed roofing projects did not come with commercial roof warranties, but instead were backed by bonds. These bonds were much more limited and backed by insurance or surety companies, and not roofing material manufacturers. Many building owners incorrectly believed the roof bond was a warranty, but instead, it was a promise by the surety to cover the cost of specified remedies up to a fixed amount of the bond. If the required roof repairs exceeded the value of the bond, building owners were left to make up the difference. This led to a feeling of distrust in both roofing contractors and material manufacturers.

Although up for a bit of debate, today’s commercial roof warranties seem to have originated with the introduction of single-ply roofing membranes in the late 1970’s. Some single-ply products were introduced in the 1960’s, but they really took off because of the oil embargo in the early 1970’s. Almost immediately, the petroleum-related materials needed to make built-up roofs became scarce and expensive, and the quality of aggregate-surfaced multi-ply asphalt built-up roofs plummeted.

The new synthetic single-ply

roofing market quickly became a hot commodity. The problem; however, was that this new single-ply membrane was radical, new, and unproven. Single-ply membrane roof systems had no performance history to make building owners feel confident they would last. Single-ply roofing material manufacturers needed to assure building owners that this new product would provide the performance promised. Thus, the modern commercial roof warranty was born. Most roof warranties started with 10-year terms. As single-ply membrane roofs became more common and trusted through the 1980’s, coverage periods were extended to 15 years, and then finally to today’s standard 20-year warranty (with some material manufacturers offering 20+ year warranties).

WARRANTY TYPES

There are two types of warranties in the commercial low-sloped roofing business, expressed and implied. The commercial roof warranty is an example of an expressed warranty, it expressly defines the extent of responsibility and the limits of liability of the warrantor. It is a written contract between the warrantor and building owner. An expressed warranty not only defines what the warrantor will or will not do in the case of a claim, but also what the building owner is required to do to keep the warranty intact.

Implied warranties are defined by the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). According to the UCC, for every manufactured product brought to market, the manufacturer implies that the product is fit for its intended use. If a manufacturer produces roofing materials, the implied warranty under the UCC states that the materials will be serviceable as a roof and will keep the building dry if installed as instructed by the manufacturer on a building that is suitable for the roof installation. The roofing manufacturer has implied that its roof system will function as a roof if designed and installed correctly. An expressed warranty may attempt to negate the UCC by stating that the written warranty supersedes any other warranty, “written or implied.” Restoration from an implied warranty would most likely require legal or court action because it generally involves interpretation of a statement or marketing brochure.

WARRANTORS

In the case of a commercial roof warranty there are two different entities that may provide a warranty; the roofing material manufacturer and the installing roofing contractor. The roofing material manufacturer’s warranty is the expressed warranty discussed and may have warranty terms from 5 to 20+ years, with the most common terms of 10 or 20 years.

The installing roofing contractor’s warranty is generally short-term (2 to 5 years) in duration and will generally only repair the roof to make it watertight if the causing problems are associated with the contractor’s installation workmanship.

COVERAGE

Most commercial roof warranties provide remedies for watertightness, provided the cause of the leak is a covered event. Warranties do not stop or protect against leaks. Warranties are reactive in remedy and not a replacement for a proactive preventive maintenance program (that we will discuss in a latter installment). Commercial roof warranties do not cover any consequential damages to other building components or contents of the building, nor do they provide any coverage for lost time or production resulting from a leak. Warranties generally do not cover color or aesthetic concerns and do not cover defects that do not cause roof leaks (for example blisters).

Most standard commercial roof warranties only cover products sold or authorized by the roofing material manufacturer, and in most cases, only cover the roof and flashing membrane and products listed on the warranty. Therefore, unless added by an addendum or rider (that we will discuss in a latter installment), warranties generally do not

continued on page 8

6 7

PROOF PointsAUGUST 2021| VOLUME 97

How Can Your Next Roofing Project Help Fight Smog Pollution By Curtis Liscum, RRC, RRO Senior Consultant

Almost half of the world’s population lives in an area of unhealthy air. “Smog” is a term coined in 1905 by a London, England physician as he described the result of a combination of smoke and fog. Today it refers to a mixture of pollutants made up mostly of ground level ozone.

In 1948, a California Institute of Technology chemist identified ozone as a component of Los Angeles smog. He went on to discover that nitrogen oxides from automotive exhausts and gaseous hydrocarbons from cars and oil refineries, exposed to sunlight, were key ingredients in the formation of ozone and photochemical smog.

Smog, or air pollution, is a silent killer present across the globe. The World Health Organization estimates about seven million people die every year from exposure to these fine particulates located in polluted air. The pollutant, which comes largely from automotive emissions and industrial facilities, leads to thousands of premature deaths worldwide because of a variety of respiratory illnesses. Depending on which scientist you believe, the condition is either getting better or worse, but what we know for sure is that it is not going away.

Plants improve air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen through photosynthesis. This natural

smog fighting ability can be significantly hampered with the loss of plant life such as after a wildfire or major wind event like the August 2020 Derecho that impacted the Midwest. Estimates indicate that about 50 percent of the tree canopy was destroyed in my Iowa hometown area during the Derecho storm last August, which is anticipated to have a dramatic impact on air quality in our region for many years to come.

So, what does this have to do with roofing? How can your next roofing project help fight smog and air pollution? A Minnesota-based manufacturer has developed a granular material that can be used

as a surfacing material for shingles and modified bitumen membranes. When exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, the photocatalytic coating on this granular material breaks down smog particles (nitrogen oxides) into water-soluble ions that can be safely washed away with rain. The water-soluble ion is nitrate salt (NO3), which is a plant-usable salt that is important for plant growth and a main ingredient in most commercial fertilizers. By breaking the harmful particles down into fuel for plant growth, the surfacing provides a compounded benefit in boosting photosynthesis in plant life located around/near the building.

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory testing validated that photocatalytic materials used in smog-reducing granules can reduce smog and contribute to cleaner air. The photocatalytic activity is constant when exposed to ultraviolet light, so smog-reduction activity is a continuous process and does not lessen over the life of the roofing material.

Because these smog-reducing granules are a surfacing material applied to already time-tested membranes, roof system performance or longevity should be the same as products manufactured with “standard” granule surfacing materials. Additionally, these

enhanced membranes can be installed using industry standard methods already employed by professional roofing contractors located across the country.

With the current industry turmoil and supply chain shortages, it is difficult to get a firm price comparison between standard material and material surfaced with the smog-reducing granules. It appears the upcharge per roll of modified bitumen membrane would be about 25 to 35 percent. This does not equate to an overall project increase of that amount, just an increase in the cost of one ply of multi-ply membrane of the roof assembly.

So how effective are the granules at reducing smog? According to industry studies, the average house with smog reducing granule-surfaced shingles has the capacity to reduce smog equivalent to the impact of 2 to 3 mature trees. A 100 square (10,000 SF) low sloped roof with a smog reducing granule-surfaced modified bitumen membrane can have similar smog reducing capabilities as approximately 60 mature trees, which would lessen the impact of about 4,000 miles of driving.

Currently we were unable to find any mandated building or energy code requirements or any local, state, or federal incentives to install a roof with smog reducing capabilities. Just like reflectivity, thermal insulation, and storm water retention, it may

only be a matter of time before smog reduction is included in this group of sustainable endeavors. For now, it is one of the sustainable or green options just starting to come of age.

As of the writing of this article, there is one shingle manufacturer and three (3) modified bitumen manufacturers offering materials with this smog reducing surfacing. To find out more about the availability of products or how they can be incorporated into your next roofing project, please contact Benchmark.

SMOG-REDUCING GRANULE- SURFACED MODIFIED BITUMEN MEMBRANE BEING INSTALLED AT THE DALLAS-FORT WORTH AIRPORT. PHOTO COURTESY OF SOPREMA.

Questions? Contact Curtis Liscum at

CLiscum@benchmark-inc.com

8

PROOF Points

PROVEN.

AUGUST 2021| VOLUME 97

Issue:

The morning following a rain day, the Contractor’s foreman was not expecting Benchmark to be on site for observation. The Benchmark Field Consultant arrived and observed the crew installing wet insulation over a corroded and damaged steel deck. The insulation was improperly staggered and the deck flutes had not been cleaned prior to laying the insulation.

Solution:

Benchmark asked the foreman why his crew was installing wet insulation and he admitted they were trying to get rid of it. Upon learning this, Benchmark reminded the foreman of good roofing practices, stressing the importance of installing only quality materials that had been properly stored. The crew supervisor was contacted

Observations from the FieldFull-time Observation Prevents Contractor Short Cuts

and later visited the project site to ensure all wet insulation was removed. Likewise, all damaged decking was addressed, either repaired and/or replaced, and ultimately dry insulation was properly installed.

Possible Impact:

Had wet insulation remained in place, the steel deck would have continued to corrode, creating a potentially unsafe condition on the roof and over the interior space below. In

WET INSULATION BEING INSTALLED.

include insulation, cover boards, vapor barriers, or other non-membrane components.

Generally speaking, commercial roof warranties cover leaks that develop due to a workmanship or product defect, provided that the roof is installed by a roofing material manufacturer’s authorized contractor.

Most commercial roof warranties are enforced

once a signed original of the document is delivered to the owner. A few roofing material manufacturers require the building owner to acknowledge receipt and return a signed copy to the manufacturer within a specified time period (generally three months). Most warranties are not active until all costs of roof installation, both installing contractor labor and materials, have been paid.

In the next installment, we will discuss typical warranty exclusions/limitations, remedies, addenda/riders, building owner responsibilities, and warranty durations and forms.

Have questions or need more information?

Contact Curtis Liscum at CLiscum@benchmark-inc.com

Commercial Roofing Warranties (continued)

addition, areas with bad deck and wet insulation could be at a greater risk for advanced deterioration and damage from wind events. Further, through the proper (staggered) installation of insulation boards, the roof system will reduce thermal bridging gaps and drastically reduce losses at the seam joints.

CORRODED AND DIRTY DECK BEING INSTALLED UPON WITHOUT CLEANING AND REPAIR.

ROOF AND PAVEMENT CONSULTANTS

319.393.9100 BENCHMARK-INC.COM

ROOF DIVISION 6065 HUNTINGTON COURT NE CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA 52402

PAVEMENT DIVISION 2110 PEWAUKEE ROAD, SUITE D WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN 53188

ROOF AND PAVEMENT CONSULTANTS