#torch on

[lead] Harcourts Capital – Menlopark, Pretoria [/lead]

Waterproofing roof slabs with Bitumin & Torch On

When the raining season starts thelast thing you want is a call from one of your tenants complain about a leaking sealing. When it was time to redo and waterproof the roof slabs of a residential building in Pretoria, ECO Roofing’s Waterproofing contractor was called in to get the job done!

The…

[lead] Almanac Waterproofing Project, Kya Sands [/lead]

Reviving & Waterproofing an IBR Roof of a factory

Repairing & waterproofing IBR roof sheeting can be a tricky task but done right it could almost double the lifespan of a roof. Here are the remedies followed to give an IBR roof in Kya Sands a new life.

Before treatment and waterproofing could be applied rust had to be removed on the IBR…

NZ’s temperate climate has made us all a little cavalier when it comes to insulation, but in reality, it’s one of the easiest ways for businesses to cut costs.

Inadequate insulation not only burns up energy. It spikes maintenance and plant costs as equipment undergoes more stress and wears out quicker. And then there’s the environmental cost of pumping pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Modern buildings are embracing new technologies to mitigate extremes of hot and cold. The heat funnel effect first seen on the Geyser Building, and later on factories like Ceres in Mt Wellington, use temperature differentials to draw cool air through the buildings in the summer, and solar warmed air in winter.

But what if you’re saddled with an aging building, with old or inadequate insulation? If that’s the case, you might consider retrofitting a high-performance insulation system with waterproof membrane directly onto the outer skin of the roof.

In NZ insulation has traditionally been placed inside, between the rafters and the roof, which is known as a “Cold Roof”. But more businesses are adopting the European practice of putting the insulation directly on the outside.  This is known as a warm roof, and has a number of advantages, including:

Less capital outlay to install, as there’s no need to remove the existing roof, and little need to prep the area. The new skin will cover everything.

Easier to apply, saving on time and the need for specialist craftsmen.

No disruptions to operations during the retrofit, as there’s no breaches to the building, and no workmen inside the building.

Less opportunity for Thermal Bridging. When insulation is applied under the roof, the beams holding the roof up transfer temperature differentials across the thermal barrier.

Less likelihood of moisture build-up in cold weather, as the dew point is located outside the roof

The extra skin adds to the integrity of the roof, prolonging it’s life expectancy.

Another couple of big benefits come when using products like IKO Prevent (from Neuchatel, NZ).

This latest technology waterproofing membrane is fire retardant, and can dramatically reduce losses in the unfortunate event of a fire. And

It’s “cold applied”. Having workmen on your roof with naked flames adds unnecessary risk to your project, when IKO performs the same job in a flame-free environment. 

So application is much quicker and less risky (without compromising the integrity or life expectancy of your membrane).

And while you’re weighing up the merits of adding a membrane, here’s another couple of questions for you to ask yourself.

Are you paying more in air conditioning than you are in heating? If so then maybe you should consider lightening the colour of your roof. You might be amazed at how such a simple act can cut your costs. The ‘solar reflectance’ of the paint you use also affects the way it absorbs heat.  And

Could you cut down on thermal bridging? It’s difficult to insulate beams, but there’s plenty of other items penetrating your roof. Pipes and vents are obvious, but what about nails? Each one that pierces your insulation is creating a pathway for heat to transfer in or out.

Good insulation is not difficult to achieve. And when weighed up against heating and cooling costs, is a surprisingly good investment for almost all buildings. How does yours stack up?

People are curious and sometimes ask when and how XL Roofing in Edmonton Alberta started, so I thought it a good idea to note it down and offer another way to tell my story . . . it   begins here how I help my clients with their roofing needs ~ tar and gravel, SBS membranes, flat roofs, torch on, rubber roofs, rolled roofing and sheet metal roofing.

My name is Chris Fraser and I started XL Roofing 12 years ago. My wife Jackie and I have a large family by today’s standards (five children). So our goal was and is, is to build a future for the possibility of growing a company to a point of maybe passing down or employees wanting to buy in. Back in the days when our children were starting to get expensive and competing for mom’s love, we made a decision to keep their mom at home . . . the day we decided to start our company . . . the year was 1998 and we have never looked back!

My Early Experience

I started roofing at the age of sixteen during my summer breaks. Once high school was finished I started my 3 year roofing apprenticeship. A recession followed. I must share a unique typical Canadian experience. The Company which I apprenticed under was a very multi cultured. My Foremen consisted; an Italian (WWII Vet), a Ukrainian (WWII Vet), a German (WWII VET), a French Canadian, and a Native American. There was a recession in 1981 & 82 when I started. The competition was fierce between foremen, as ones job seemed to always be on the line. If a worker/roofer did not cut it, quite simply you were gone. They all demanded absolute perfection, which I am proud to have went through. It has made me who I am today and what I expect of my men. I gained all my experience through large established companies, and it wasn’t uncommon for a roofing inspector to be looking over our shoulder most of the time, so doing excellent work became habit. At the age of 21 I was running my own crew. Today I have 33 solid years experience and I know that I bring a lot of knowhow to the roofing trade and my clients - tar and gravel, SBS membranes, flat roofs, torch on, rubber roofs, rolled roofing, sheet metal.