Site Storage of Cladding Materials
The consequences of not protecting galvanized coated materials stored on construction sites is relatively well known to roofing contractors and to a lesser degree builders. However, there appears to be… Read more »
Post Construction Installations on Roofs and Service Access
On occasions when we have been invited to inspect a roof over a shopping centre we are stunned by the amount of post construction activity the roof is subjected to…. Read more »
Storm Damage to Buildings: Act of God or Oversight By Man?
Following the recent spate of storm damage to buildings we believe it is necessary to review the possible contribution of the various components of the cladding systems to the apparent… Read more »
Concealed-fix, Secret-Fix and Standing Seam Cladding
Technical journals, manufacturers’ data sheets and brochures regularly make reference to these three titles and often mix them in a single sentence which has resulted in a certain amount of… Read more »
Hailguards: Design Considerations to Mitigate Hail Damage
Frequently the late arrival of the summer rains in the inland regions of South Africa is accompanied by high winds and hail. The hail can vary in size from small… Read more »
Damage caused by using roof cladding as a working platform
Annually thousands of square metres of metal roof cladding and flashings are damaged (often irreparably) on buildings by tradesmen indiscriminately using the roof cladding as a working platform. Such damage… Read more »
Solar heaters and photovoltaic (PV) panels: Considering electrochemical compatibility with the protective coatings on cladding
The current fiasco pertaining to the supply of electricity has led to an increase in the number of solar heaters and panels of photovoltaic (PV) cells being installed on metal… Read more »
Fasteners and washers used to fix metal cladding to the supporting structure
Recently there have been a number of articles on the durability of the fasteners and washers used to fix metal cladding to the supporting structure. Fasteners comprise a steel or… Read more »
Weatherproofing of in-plane roof lights
Recently we have had a number of enquiries pertaining to the weatherproofing of in-plane roof lights and in particular those comprising polycarbonate material. In-plane roof lights are those where the… Read more »
Avoiding roof leaks due to a capillary siphon at the side-laps between adjacent sheets
Over this summer we have had a number of requests for assistance from property owners whose mainly pierce-fixed roofs have leaked following hailstorms where fine hail has accumulated on the… Read more »