Professional Roofing | June 2004 31

Roofing professionals have the responsibility to design, specify

and install quality roof assemblies. Inmany cases, the scope of their work isnot limited to choosing and installinginsulation and roof systems. Roofingprofessionals most likely need to in-clude roof accessories in their designsand installations. And there are times a special accessory is needed to meetunique project requirements or used in an atypical situation.

NRCA’s Technical Services Sectionreceives many calls from roofing con-tractors and roof system designerslooking for such roof accessories. Toassist roofing professionals, Profession-al Roofing compiled a limited list ofproducts and their manufacturers thatoffer out-of-the-ordinary or innovativeproducts. Note that a manufacturermay offer more products than what ispresented in this article. You shouldvisit individual manufacturers’ Websites and contact them directly formore information.

And it is important to note inclusionof a product in this article does notimply endorsement by NRCA or Profes-sional Roofing. NRCA and ProfessionalRoofing do not possess or maintain anyinformation about these products’

performance records. The article’s pur-pose is to offer some available optionsfor unusual situations and present newand/or improved products.

Residential

VentilationA concern for many homeowners ishow to properly ventilate attic spaces.NRCA recommends a static, balancedventilation system with a minimumamount of 1 square foot (0.09 m2) of net free ventilating area for every150 square feet (13.9 m2) of attic spacemeasured at the attic f loor level. A balanced ventilation system providesabout half the total ventilation area ator near the ridge (such as a ridge vent)and the remaining area at the lowpoints (such as soffit or eave vents).

However, there are times when typi-cal ridge and soffit vent products donot conform to a roof’s configuration.Designers may misuse or decide toforgo a ventilation system because ofthis situation, but this is not recom-mended by NRCA. There are designoptions available. For example, consid-er a roof where an overhang does notexist and soffit vents are not an option.

COR-A-VENT Inc., Mishawaka,

Ind., manufactures the S-400 StripVent, a vent made of heat-resistantpolypropylene that can be installed di-rectly behind a fascia board. The S-400Strip Vent is self-cleaning and crush-resistant to withstand installation by a nail gun.

DCI Products Inc., Clifton Heights,Pa., offers a product called SmartVentto address inadequate soffit ventilationor where attic insulation blocks soffitvents. SmartVent is a tapered, plasticvent installed at the soffit edge andunder shingles. A continuous slot or aseries of holes are installed in the roofdeck under the plastic vent to allow forair f low.

Another example that calls for spe-cial treatment is when a roof’s peak intersects a wall or doesn’t have a trueridge, such as on a freestanding shedroof. Air Vent Inc., Buffalo, N.Y., pro-duces specialty metal vents called FilterVent Specialty Ridge Vents thatcan be installed at such locations. TheFlash FilterVent is for roof and wall in-tersections, and the Peak FilterVent isfor roofs where a two-sided ridge doesnot exist. All FilterVent products haveexternal baff les and internal weatherfilters.

In cases where adequate ridge

venting is difficult (such as on a hiproof), electric fans or powered atticvents often are used to draw air throughan attic. Although powered vents arenot a new concept, there are solar-powered units available for energy-conscious consumers. Air Vent pro-duces the SolarCool™ Attic Vent, apowered vent with a solar panel mount-ed on top. The solar panel is adjustable,so it can be rotated or tilted to gain max-imum sun exposure. It is not hooked to a thermostat; instead, it continually operates as long as there is sunlight.

Tubular skylights

Homeowners who want to introducenatural light into their homes have anew skylight option. Tubular skylightshave entered the market and are toutedas being affordable and easy to installand feature f lexible placement. Theywork on the principle that sunlight enters a tube, bounces off the highlyref lective inside surface and is directed

vertical roof penetrations or when theyrun laterally along a roof’s top surface.

Penetration pockets (also calledpitch pockets or pitch pans) are not the preferred f lashing method for pipepenetrations because they generallybecome a constant maintenance prob-lem. However, if typical metal pitchpans are going to be used, contractorseither have them shop-fabricated orformed in the field. But if a project requires a large quantity of metal pitch pans, there is a prefabricated, adjustable product available from Metal-Era Inc., Waukesha, Wis., called theFlash-Tite Adjustable Pitch Pan. It hasa telescoping design to adjust horizon-tally and extenders to take care of larg-er penetrations. Different heights andmaterials also are available for use withany roof system. Metal-Era claims costsavings can be realized because theamount of sealant and filler will beminimized and units are competitivelypriced compared with shop-fabricatedpitch pans.

32 Professional Roofing | June 2004

into interior space. Two manufacturersof tubular skylights are Velux-AmericaInc., Greenwood, S.C., and ODL Inc.,Zeeland, Mich.

One tubular skylight product that isespecially distinctive is the Spyder Sky-light by Sun-Tek Manufacturing Inc.,Orlando, Fla. This product will allowtwo spaces or four spaces to be illumi-nated with only one roof opening. Sun-Tek Manufacturing recommends thetubing be as short and straight as possi-ble to achieve maximum benefits.

Commercial

Pipe-related products

NRCA does not recommend using roofsas locations for heating, ventilating andair-conditioning (HVAC) equipment.But roofing professionals know roof-mounted HVAC equipment is, unfor-tunately, a fact of life. And with HVACequipment, there will be pipes and con-duit that need to be addressed either as

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Reduce the inside temperature of your metalroof building 5–15% with a new cool roof.

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polypropylene plastic base, metalstruts, threaded rods and hangers. The struts and hangers are fully ad-justable. The company recommendsplastic bases be installed over walkwaypads.

Miro Industries Inc., Salt Lake City,manufactures a “cradle” that has a self-lubricating polycarbonate plastic rollerwith a stainless-steel rod attached to a

polycarbonate base. The product comesin different models to accommodate arange of pipe diameters and height requirements.

Plymouth, Minn.-based Pipe PierSupport Systems’ solution to pipe sup-ports is a closed-cell polyethylene foamblock that encases a metal channel

Professional Roofing | June 2004 33

Chem Link Advanced ArchitecturalProducts, Kalamazoo, Mich., offers another pitch-pocket solution calledthe ChemCurb™ System, which incor-porates a curb composed of precastpolyester composite or black structuralurethane. The curb can be cut to fitpenetrations of different sizes andshapes. The curb is adhered to thesubstrate with a bonding adhesive and filled with a moisture-cured, self-leveling sealer.

Another approach to addressingpipe penetrations is the Pipe PortalSystem offered by Portals Plus Inc.,Bensenville, Ill. This system can housemultiple pipe penetrations of varyingsizes in one roof opening. Pipes withdiameters ranging from 3⁄8 of an inch to12 inches (9.5 mm to 305 mm) can beaccommodated. The system consists ofa roof curb, molded curb cover(s) madefrom acrylonitrite butadiene styrene(ABS) plastic, sealing rings and EPDMrubber caps for each pipe penetration.

Thybar Corp., Addison, Ill., offers asimilar product where multiple pene-trations are accommodated in one roofopening. Its system includes the Thy-Curb Piping Cover, which is made ofABS thermoplastic korad acrylic andincorporates graduated f lashing bootsthat can be cut to fit. Stainless-steelclamps are used to seal the f lashing tothe penetration.

Although NRCA does not recom-mend laying pipe and conduit on a roofsurface, roofing professionals often encounter such cases. In many in-stances, the pipe supports used arewooden blocks. Because pipes con-stantly expand and contract and aresubject to wind load, these blocks areforced to move back and forth, as wellas side to side. The constant rubbing ofthe wooden blocks’ hard surfaces andsharp edges may damage a roof cover-ing. Three manufacturers fabricatepipe supports that accommodate thermal movement, but each offers a slightly different approach.

As its name implies, Portable PipeHangers, Houston, makes a pipe sup-port that consists of a high-density Circle Reader Service #153

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Bird•B•Gone23918 SkylineMission Viejo, CA 92692(800) 392-6915www.birdbgone.com

Nixalite® of America Inc.1025 16th Ave.East Moline, IL 61244(888) 624-1189www.nixalite.com

Bird-X Inc.300 N. Elizabeth St.Chicago, IL 60607(312) 226-2473www.bird-x.com

COR-A-VENT Inc. P.O. Box 428Mishawaka, IN 46546(800) 837-8368 www.cor-a-vent.com

DCI Products Inc.Sycamore and Mill StreetsClifton Heights, PA 19018(800) 622-4455www.dciproducts.com

Air Vent Inc., a Gibraltar Co.3556 Lake Shore RoadBuffalo, NY 14219(800) AIR-VENT (247-8368)www.airvent.com

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Velux-America Inc.450 Old Brickyard RoadP.O. Box 5001Greenwood, SC 29648-5001(800) 888-3589www.velux-america.com

ODL Inc.215 E. Roosevelt Ave.Zeeland, MI 49464(800) 253-3900www.odl.com

Sun-Tek Manufacturing Inc.10303 General DriveOrlando, FL 32824(407) 859-2117www.sun-tek.com

Manufacturer contact information

Residential ventilation Residential tubular skylights

Commercial bird control Commercial walkway pads

Unity Creations56 Bloomingdale Road Hicksville, NY 11801(516) 933-3238www.surfacingsystems.com

EcoStar 104 Terrace DriveMundelein, IL 60060(800) 211-7170www.ecostarinc.com

Humane Manufacturing LLC805 Moore St.P.O. Box 24Baraboo, WI 53913(608) 356-8336www.humanemfg.com

Portable Pipe Hangers5534 Harvey Wilson DriveHouston, TX 77020(800) 797-6585www.portablepipehangers.com

Miro Industries Inc.1780 W. 2300 S.Salt Lake City, UT 84103(800) 768-6978www.miroind.com

Pipe Pier Support Systems2340 Niagara Lane N.Plymouth, MN 55447(763) 745-4223www.pipepier.com

Professional Roofing | June 2004 35

Metal-Era Inc.1600 Airport RoadWaukesha, WI 53188(800) 558-2162www.metalera.com

Chem Link Advanced Architectural Products

P.O. Box 51511Kalamazoo, MI 49005(800) 826-1681www.chemlinkinc.com

Portals Plus Inc.639 N. Thomas DriveBensenville, IL 60106(630) 766-5240www.portalsplus.com

Thybar Corp.913 S. Kay Ave.Addison, IL 60101(800) 666-2872www.thybar.com

Facilitec Corp.3851 Clearview CourtGurnee, IL 60031(800) 284-8273www.facilitec-corp.com

Flame Gard® Inc.6827 E. Washington Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90040(800) 334-3072www.flamegard.com

Commercial pipe-related products

Commercial grease control

Grease-CONTROLP.O. Box 281612San Francisco, CA 94128(800) 300-6661www.greasecontrol.com

products designed to keep birds awayfrom rooftops.

Shock Track by Bird•B•Gone, Mission Viejo, Calif., is a f lexible, elec-tric track that mildly shocks birds andprevents them from landing. The sys-tem addresses all types of birds andcan be installed on any surface. Thelow-profile track is an open design, so water can f low through it. And the track bends in every direction. The Shock Track system can be powered by either solar or electricchargers.

East Moline, Ill.-based Nixalite® ofAmerica has been manufacturing bird-control products. One of its featuredproducts is a stainless-steel wire andstrip barrier that repels birds. Thereare different models available for particular bird species.

Bird-X Inc., Chicago, offers theQuadblaster QB-4, which emits ultra-sonic sound waves to scare off birds.Each unit has four speakers that

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strut. Pipes or conduit are held in withstrut clamps, rollers or other approvedaccessories. If pipes are unusually largeor heavy, a combination of struts andmultiple blocks may be used to createa framework to support the load.

Walkway padsThere is a current trend in the con-struction industry to use green buildingproducts, which are made of recycled,salvaged materials; products that con-serve natural resources; or productsthat have low environmental effectsduring the manufacture, demolition,installation or renovation process.Building owners and roof system de-signers are trying to use these productsfor energy-saving, environmentallyfriendly and sustainability reasons.There is one roof accessory that somemanufacturers have adapted to meetthis need—walkway pads.

Several manufacturers produce

walkway pads and pavers made of recy-cled rubber products. Each companyproduces pads that are marketed to beimpact-resistant, weather-resistant andcompatible with all roof systems. TheUnity Surfacing System by Unity Cre-ations, Hicksville, N.Y., and the NovaWalkway by EcoStar, Mundelein, Ill.,are square, interlocking pads that allowwater to drain freely underneath thepads. Roof-Gard Pads by HumaneManufacturing, Baraboo, Wis., areavailable in three sizes and can be easily cut.

Bird control

A nuisance that plagues a number ofbuilding owners is bird infestation. Pigeons, sea gulls, swallows, vulturesand other birds can damage roof sys-tems by pecking at them or by theirdroppings. Although birds can causethousands of dollars worth of damage,owners seem to prefer humane meth-ods of eradicating them. Fortunately,there are several techniques and

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produce harsh, harmless sound wavesthat cannot be heard by humans. Theunit can be mounted in any direction,and optional remote speakers can be purchased for unusual roof system configurations.

Grease controlRestaurants, manufacturing plants andbuildings with commercial kitchensshare a common problem—fats, oilsand grease deposited on their roofsfrom exhaust fans. These substancesoften are referred to as “FOG” and can be detrimental to almost all roofcoverings.

One of the best ways to protect aroof system from the effects of FOG is to prevent it from reaching a roofcovering. There are several systemsavailable that purport to collect andcontain FOG discharge.

Facilitec Corp., Gurnee, Ill., makesthe G2 Grease Guard® system, agrease-containment system that incor-porates a grease-def lecting f lashingsystem, aluminum framework and filter system. The grease-def lectingf lashing system is installed on an ex-haust fan’s equipment curb sides. Theframe is installed around the exhaustfan, and the proprietary filter system iscut to fit inside the frame. The filtercaptures and traps the discharge. Oncethe filter is saturated, it should be replaced.

Los Angeles-based Flame Gard® Inc.markets the Flame Gard Grease Catch-er System. It consists of a metal con-tainment box that is installed on an ex-haust fan’s side. A Flame Gard GreasePillow then is placed inside the box toabsorb the discharge. The companyrecommends replacing the pillowwhen it becomes saturated. For addi-tional protection, the Flame Gard Universal Grease Pad can be placed directly on a roof.

Grease-CONTROL, San Francisco,offers GreaseDiapers,® which is mar-keted as a cost-effective grease- andoil-collection system that is easy to in-stall and maintain. It can be attachedto one or all sides of an exhaust fan

and is meant to collect grease, oil andfats that spill from the sides of the fan.

Wrap-upThis article’s purpose is to presentproducts that meet unique project re-quirements or offer innovative ideas. It is not NRCA’s intention to recom-mend or endorse specific products or manufacturers. A majority of the information was found on

manufacturers’ Web sites at the timethis article was written.

Before they use any of these prod-ucts, I encourage roofing professionalsto contact the manufacturers for fur-ther information and verify a roof ac-cessory is appropriate for their specificneeds. ■

Joan P. Crowe is an NRCA manager of technical services.

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