Questions and Answers:
Kenneth Hecht responds to client questions.
Q. What is Ice damming ?
A. Ice damming occurs at the eaves of buildings as a result of snow melting on the area of the roof where the heat from the inside of the building meets the unheated colder area of the roof. Because of the heat loss through the roof and the heat from the sun, snow on the roof may start melting even in freezing weather. As water reaches the roof overhang, it refreezes forming an ice dam which blocks the melting snow from draining. This causes the snow to back up under the shingles and into the interior. Theoretically cold buildings and buildings where heat cannot escape do not have ice damming problems. Sometimes water backup can occur due to the build up of pine needles and other plant debris.This problem can be prevented with the installation of a 3’ roof guard placed from the edge of the roof upward. The roof guard does not stop ice damming but it does stop the dammed water from entering the building.
Q.Water leaked inside from a fence installed on top of flat built-up roof . Attached are our field adjusters report and photographs. Please advise on potential tortfeasters
A..Flat built-up roofs are placed on top of structural decks. The components placed on this deck are insulation, vapor barrier, membrane and where penetrations exist, flashing. A penetration is defined as anything that penetrates the roofing material that either sits on the deck or is cut through the deck. Flashing works to seal the opening and prevent water from entering the building. Where an opening is required, the item penetrating the roof must first be attached to a structural member independent of the roofing material. It must then be flashed in such a way as to keep water from both entering the building and/or from having standing water gather near the penetration. In this loss it appears the fence was installed on top of the built-up roofing rather then directly onto the wood decking under the roofing. By not fastening the fencing directly to the wood sheathing the installer of the fence created two problems. 1) The fence is not securely fastened to the structure. By fastening through the roofing material instead of directly into the deck the fasteners are stressed by the thermal and water movement of the roofing material. 2.) The method employed to fasten the fencing also violated the integrity of the roofing system. The water now had a path to find its way into the building. The fastener created a hole when it was placed through the roofing membrane. A correct installation would have been to fasten the fence posts directly to the deck, and flashing know as pitch pockets would have been installed where the fence posts were fastened to the roof decking. THE POTENTIAL RESPONSIBLE PARTY is whoever installed the fencing on the roof.
Q. I always hear about Puff backs of oil fired boilers, please explain what causes this?
A. Oil burners need to be maintained at least once a year to insure the burner is operating at an acceptable efficiency. Without this maintenance, excessive fuel and/or gases may be present in the combustion chamber when the controls start the unit. The heating system works by pumping oil through a nozzle which converts the oil into mist. A fan then mixes the oil mist with air to create a flammable mixture which then is ignited and burned in a lined firebox. If the ignition system is dirty, misalleged, or not creating the right type of flame an excessive build-up is eventually created. Thus when the system is turned on a smoldering fire rather than an efficient flame is produced in the firebox. A device called a delay oil value can be installed to eliminate this problem and is rather easy to install.
Q. Can a contractor use a regular wood plank for his scaffolding?
A. No. OSHA Scaffold Grade Planks are specifically made to support workers utilzing them for support. The OSHA planks restrict “slope of grain” and are stronger than lumber with steeper grains, such as those used for building framing. (Slope of grain relates to wood-fiber direction to the edges of a piece of wood). They also have rods placed through them for additional strength. OSHA Scaffold Grade Planks are graded primarily for strength in bending edgewise or flatwise. Whereas beams & joists are graded for strength in bending when loaded on the narrow face. OSHA Scaffold Grade Planks will always be stamped with an OSHA approved label.
Does OSHA allow this worker to stand on the beam while erecting steel ?
(Occupational Safety & Health Administration)
