Warranties-Verify that the manufacturer offers a meaningful performance (not just material) warranty. The question is, “How long has its system been in use?” Can the vendor substantiate its track record and prove service/durability with interactive load testing tables and real-time engineering calculations? Ask for proof of it! Has the vendor demonstrated sufficient experience? How long the company has been in business is irrelevant. Long-Term Performance/Vendor Expertise -A product cannot perform better than its design. This requires an enormous amount of testing, and panel-specific results should be published on the vendor’s website for your inspection. Then, we can calculate the required population and spacing of the attachment(s) so it cannot fail. Tensile Load Testing-To resist the in-service forces applied to any mounting system, we need to know at what point the attachment fails. This transparency should extend from raw material sourcing through manufacture and product handoff. The designer should scrutinize manufacturer qualifications and certifications to ensure a safe, engineered application and long-term service on every project.
A company that lauds the capabilities of its system but fails to provide proof of those claims may be blowing smoke. Manufacturer transparency is at the heart of vetting a rooftop attachment system. Protection from this liability starts long before the product is on the roof. If the designer believes the sales hype without properly vetting the system or its manufacture, the pitfall is this: Even if the product is installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions (but without proper testing/engineering documentation), it may fail, leaving the designer and contractor in a position of arguing over liability. Often by default, the designer becomes the ultimate decision maker and may assume liability when it comes to the selection of poorly designed or untested systems. Today’s market is inundated with metal roof attachment products. Liability of Installing Non-Engineered Systems A lack of codified standards can lead to failure causing death, injury, and property or roof damage, which are life-safety issues and potential liability for designers.ĭesigners need to know what steps they can take to protect themselves from potential liability and how best to vet these devices with respect to any exaggerated sales claims. This is important to note because these mounting systems transfer live loads into the roof sheathing and structure. Many applications are not specifically engineered for design loads nor can they be because of insufficient testing or a lack of quality assurances in production to enable the necessary testing and engineering.
There are no industry standards or mandates for design, manufacture, use or mechanical load-testing of rooftop attachments. While such devices complement the roof-making our roofs much more user-friendly-the downside is this market space is completely unregulated. Each claim their system is the best, ultimate, first or strongest. Vendors have introduced numerous systems for mounting rooftop ancillaries such as snow retention, solar panels, service walkways and various utilities to standing seam metal roofs.