Page 15 - School Planning & Management, April/May 2019

will also tend to fail. And even new roofs can have problems at the penetrations—curbs, caps, pitch pockets, roofing boots, drains, and scuppers. All are potential leak sites. Since built-up modified bitumen roofs consist of several layers of material stuck together, the failure usually occurs at a location where all layers fail. This is often easy to see with a close visual inspection. Of course, there are times when even a built-up roof conceals its failures.
Always check the insulation under the roof for moisture. But remember there are other sources of unwanted moisture inside a building. Every pipe that carries liquid or gas at a temperature that is significantly different than the conditioned temperature inside the building should be insulated. When an uninsulated internal roof leader drips condensation, the wet spot on the acoustical tile ceiling looks exactly like a roof leak.
Collateral Damage
Chronic roof leaks can cause collateral damage, particularly if they are undetected over a long period of time. Soggy insulation on top of galvanized metal deck or concrete deck may not be a problem, but if it is in contact with cementitious wood fiber deck- ing it could be. Some fiber decking materials may not be able to withstand prolonged moisture exposure.
Moisture in walls as a result of roof leaks can causes mold and mildew. Moisture inside of gypsum board walls is particularly destructive, since even moisture resistant wallboard tends to fall apart with repeated exposure. Once a reroof occurs, test the walls in the vicinity of the old leaks for moisture content and the need for mold and/or mildew cleanup.
Most of the floor coverings in a school are installed to withstand heavy traffic. As a result, they tend to resist water damage, if the water is removed in a timely fashion with a wet/dry vacuum. Wood flooring is the single exception to this rule of thumb. Water that is allowed to soak into a wood floor causes the wood to expand and as a result it will create substantial hills and valleys in the surface that are nearly impossible to reverse or repair. Wood gymnasium floors can be ruined if exposed to repeated roof leaks.
Several years ago, a creative technology company decided that they could provide a school system with a better solution by in- stalling thermocouples under the insulation at regular intervals on
the roof. The idea was that should a roof leak occur, the facilities personnel would be notified immediately and could take action to repair the leak. Further damage would be avoided. Trouble is, most districts were afraid they would not be able to respond to all of the “alarms” that would occur. Roof leak response in many organiza- tions is simply not that finely tuned.
Communicate
As always, a lack of communication can turn a sound techni- cal project into a failure. There are many constituents who must be given detailed information about the project well in advance, including administration, staff, students, parents, and the public. Seek their input and adjust the logistics of the project accordingly. While your purpose may be to fix the roof, you will also be judged by how little your project disrupts normal operations at the school. Thorough communications are the key to that. SPM
>>Mike Raible is founder and CEO of The School Solutions Group in Charlotte, N.C., and the author of “Every Child, Every Day: Achieving Zero Dropouts Through Performance-Based Education” He can be reached at mkraible@ theschoolsolutionsgroup.com. Andrew LaRowe is president of BAISCA LLC, located in Winston Salem, N.C. He can be reached at andrew@baisca.com.
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APRIL/MAY 2019 / SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT 15
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