Extending Roof Life
A food processor stores finished cereal in a Minnesota warehouse. The facility’s 28-year old standing-seam metal roof had such a minimal pitch (1/4 inch per foot) that runoff was always a problem. When the cycle of freezing and thawing occurred each year, huge ice dams would form and water would creep up the roof. By 2011, the company was ready to remedy the problem.
“Coating was an estimated quarter of the cost of replacing the panels,” says Jim Walker, Service Project Manager, D. C. Taylor Co. The life of the existing roof was extended with the application of spray coating, preventing the metal panels from being transported to a landfill.
Safety
The food processor strictly follows OSHA guidelines, especially with respect to worker tie-off and ladder protection. Safety measures that were implemented during the project included:
- Special flag mounts that clamped onto the standing seam metal roof.
- Temporary fall protection, including skylight nets.
- Spill containment trays and clean-up kits.
Project Management
The roof was divided into quadrants, and work was staged accordingly in order to finish the project before cooler temps set in. This kept the crew member who was spraying the coating working all the time. As finish coating was applied to one quadrant, the crew would move to the next.
Quality Control
Managing expectations and assuring quality included a process that tracked the gallons, totes, and barrels of coating used. A record was kept on a whiteboard in the facility’s office. Communication was constant between the on-site maintenance manager, a corporate representative, and D. C. Taylor Co. crews.
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