Roof Monitoring Case Studies

THE CHALLENGE
The Christian Faith Center’s new 220,000 square foot facility opened in September 2007. Roof leaks in various areas continued to plague the owner and their contractor over the following nine months. None of the extensive efforts to locate and repair the leaks were effective, so RDH Building Sciences was called in to solve the mystery. RDH’s forensic methods included infrared scans that identified several areas of wet insulation below the waterproof membrane. While the evidence of these saturated areas was valuable information, the location of the membrane breaches that allowed the water to accumulate, remained unfound. Until the actual leaks could be identified and repaired, replacing the wet insulation would be pointless.

THE SOLUTION
RDH called Detec to determine if our electric conductance methods for finding roof leaks would be effective on this building’s roof (Electric conductance methods are not effective on all roof types). The roof assembly consisted of a corrugated metal deck covered with two layers of 2.5” Polyisocyanurate insulation boards mechanically fastened to the deck. A DensDeck Prime protection board was mechanically fastened atop the insulation boards and two plys of Siplast SBS roll products bonded together and to the protection board to form the waterproof membrane.

Our initial onsite IntegriScans confirmed that the wet insulation provided the required conductivity to facilitate an effective service. On the first day of scanning, a Detec Project Manager located twelve breaches on the top surface of the roof membrane. The leaks were primarily on the equipment curbs and the deck-to-wall transitions. Leaks were identified on-site with orange spray paint and followed up with a text report, photos, and a plan view drawing of the roof with the leaks clearly marked on it.

Ellen Kenison, Facility Manager for the Christian Faith Center, was thrilled. She stated, “Detec pinpointed more locations of problems, in one day, than the roofers, sheet metal, and other contractors have been able to find by the other methods of repair and/or replacement in nine months. With over three acres in roof area, Detec’s method has been the most effective to date for leak location.”

THE CHALLENGE
The Library of Parliament opened in 1876 as an information and research service for the Parliament of Canada. This important heritage building houses many of the country’s most valuable historic archives, while it also serves as a popular tourist attraction. The reading room of the library is considered by many to be the most beautiful room in Canada. In mid 2002, the government started a major renovation and restoration of the structure and its interiors. Charged with the oversight of the project, the Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) sought to ensure that the millions of dollars worth of new work and the priceless documents housed within would be protected from water intrusion. The labyrinth of framework and masonry under the roof made routine visual inspections for moisture ingress virtually impossible. The challenge — locating concealed water leaks accurately and quickly so that repairs could be made before damages occurred.

THE SOLUTION: After researching various options for automated solutions, the PWGSC selected Detec’s Moisture Detection and Monitoring System for several reasons. First, Detec’s patented Moisture Detection Tape provided unmatched flexibility for locating the sensors in hard-to-reach, tight spaces. Plus, Detec’s unique reporting method ensured a clear location of any water intrusion areas, while simultaneously logging a history of all wetting and drying trends. This additional service would deliver valuable information to confirm that repairs to any identified leaks were in fact successful.

The Detec system proved its value almost immediately. Just after the system start-up, it reported a wet zone in a mid section of the roof that was still under construction. A follow-up investigation the next morning confirmed that water was in fact entering the building through a seam in the temporary protective tarp. The wood and insulation in the identified zone were rapidly absorbing moisture in an area completely hidden from view.

Even though the PWGSC was impressed with the system’s immediate performance, it proceeded with its required 100% testing to confirm the system functionality. Detec passed with flying colors, and the system continues to assist the PWGSC in protecting these national treasures.