Years ago Ephrata School District, Ephrata, PA, was a little disappointed to
find the roof they recently replaced on Ephrata Middle School was leaking.During the same period bid requests hit the street for HVAC upgrades (on the same school). Hundreds of “cut in” rails were specified for supporting duct runs on the roof. When non-penetrating rooftop supports were recommended as an alternative the Ephrata School Board didn’t waste any time approving the change. Their roof situation was bad enough without adding additional leak opportunities. And with hundreds of rails to flash in, the odds were good this would happen.
Non-penetrating rooftop supports are for rectangular duct, spiral duct, chilled water pipes, process piping, walkways, crossovers and service platforms. They not only minimize penetrations and resulting leaks but are more cost-effective and economical. They are designed to distribute loads while not exceeding 2 psi. Non-penetrating rooftop support systems are able to withstand seismic and wind uplift concerns by securing to the roof deck accordingly.
Predesigned rooftop support systems more than pay for themselves in labor savings. Costs for roofing contractors to flash in roof curbs or rails can be exorbitant. Rooftop support systems are designed so that contractor guess work on installation is virtually eliminated as are any leftover supports. Perhaps the greatest savings are the ones that don’t occur from leaking, inferior flashings.