Dec 8, 2010 Justin No Comments

It is more than being the only single component system with a renewable Warranty that covers Ponding Water on a Flat Roof. It is more than having less than 1% VOCs, making SureCoat proudly environmentally friendly. 

It is 3 fold. 

1. The warranty coverage is the best in the business.  Ponding conditions on a flat roof do not void the warranty, and the warranty is renewable with maintenance applications for as long as the building is in use. Future roof budgets decrease as the roof becomes stronger with each application.

2. Being a small company your time is very valuable, so time spent on material failures on a completed coating installation is a loss of revenue in two ways. First, indirectly it is a loss of time and productivity to pursue new business. Then there is the direct loss of providing services to correct the failure at no charge. According to Doug Hamilton, DC Consulting, when there is product failure, it will take 3-5 trips to the jobsite to address.

One trip to do each of the following:

  • Identify the problem and assess the damage
  • Meet with the contractor and coating manufacturer to determine who has liability-often the mfg will try to blame it on the contract either didn’t clean roof well enough or didn’t put enough coating or other material.
  • Write a repair specification that the mfg will approve of-if they are willing to continue warranty coverage. Most manufacturers will not take any responsibility and will not participate financially.
  • Inspect the repair, which may take more than one trip. Inspections are usually done upon cleaning, upon basecoat and fabric, and then topcoat-completion.

This is where all the gopher clauses in a warranty are effective in limiting responsibility. Words like “inadequate drainage”, “positive drainage”, “ponding”- whether completely or limiting the time the pond can exist to 24 or 48 hours. Many times that phrase or verbiage is not seen until after the system or coating is installed and a warranty application is requested or issued.  The frustration in fighting with a manufacturer to help with a coating failure weighs heavily on the roof consultant and the contractor. The manufacturer doesn’t have a license or bond that a claim can be submitted against. It is a difficult situation to resolve without further expense to the owner. Using a product that has a written mfg warranty that covers ponding conditions is something that sets The SureCoat Roof Systems apart from other materials in the coating industry. SureCoat; it is a waterproof, monolithic membrane that has energy saving values. It is related more to a single ply system than a coating.

The SureCoat roof System over BUR

This BUR was at the end of its life cycle and was given a renewable warranty that is good as long as this building is in use by reconditioning it with The SureCoat Roof System

The SureCoat Roof System is more than a reflective coating!!

The advantages of using SCRS over installing single ply membranes are that it is seamless, self flashing, and self adhered system. Single ply systems are attached to the roof deck with mechanical fasteners that require several holes every few feet in the roof deck. They also require special flashings and have miles of seams that can separate as the system ages and it loses its ability to move with thermal cycles. Some PVC membranes lose about 30% of their initial reflectivity in three years, which means that the UV rays are that much more effective in accelerating deterioration of the PVC membrane. Once the single ply system’s lifecycle is over it has to be torn off and a new system installed.

There are health hazards associated directly to PVC. During manufacturing 30% chlorine is used. When they end up in landfills, the dioxins have been documented to make it into the water tables. These dioxins are known to cause cancer. TPO is better but it still has all the seams, fasteners, and special flashings that make for an expensive installation compared to The SureCoat System. They also have to be torn off and replaced at the end of their lifecycle, unless The SureCoat Roof System is used to recondition it.

3. Last coating failures can adversely affect future clients. Every industry is smaller than most think. A property owner, contractor, or other roofing consultant, can “hear” of an incident where the “wrong” material was specified for a job by the consultant. Making it seem like the original consultant did not provide due diligence on the products he used when in fact he was told that a coating product was the right fit on a flat or low sloped roof. SureCoat was developed for property owners and contractors that were frustrated with this. Using a product made for flat roofs that pond water, and has a manufacturer’s written warranty is security for all parties involved. There is no way to misunderstand the intent of our renewable warranty; nothing is implied, it is written.

Material sales people, whether mfg. direct or through a supply house, often misrepresent what type of project acrylic roof coatings can be used on, either by lack of knowledge or by lack of training from the manufacturer. Neither of them have their reputation, license, or property at risk when they recommend a product. But they can all find where is says that ponding voids the warranty when there is a failure. SureCoat Systems will show the contractor, the roof consultant, the architect, and the property owner the warranty BEFORE it is incorporated into a project. From Conception to Completion SureCoat Systems supports your efforts with written specifications that can be copied into your specifications. SureCoat Systems provides customer service and support throughout the bidding and installation process. Providing your clients with recommendations and a product that will solve their roof needs now and in the future is what SureCoat Systems is about.