Tropicana Field Roof and Extreme Weather Damage
Will My Roof Blow Off Like Tropicana Field?
With almost every extreme weather event with high winds, roof damage is a major concern. The roof is the most vulnerable surface of any building. It has to stand up to constant UV exposure, rain, and people who don’t protect it when servicing rooftop equipment. As seen with the recent Tropicana Field roof destruction, a single point of failure can lead to the entire roof getting ripped to shreds.
Though you may first think of rain or hail, wind is one of your roof’s worst enemies. There are all sorts of studies about wind uplift, the effect of wind at different building heights, and the performance of the different materials. Far too often, in an attempt to cut costs by a contractor who doesn’t take the time to consider all of the potential hazards, very important steps are often missed.
We recently helped repair/replace two roof blow-offs that were far away from the landfall of Hurricane Helene. In both cases, the metal cleats that are integral to securing the roof’s edges were left out when the roof was installed. This issue can be exacerbated improper application of roofing adhesives and/or fasteners.
What’s a metal roof cleat?
A cleat is a separate piece of metal that’s one gauge thicker than the exposed metal edge. It’s nailed in place and the edge metal locks onto it. It helps the roof resist wind uplift and adds protection from winds getting under the metal.
The metal cleat is installed prior to the finished metal edge. The finished metal locks onto the cleat to provide enhanced wind uplift resistance.
In the pictures below, no cleats were installed on either building. The installation of a cleat costs just a few dollars per lineal foot for both labor and material. In other words, less than $500.00 would have saved both of these roofs.
While the missing cleats started the failure, there were other factors at play. In the first picture, it is evident that the original installer they didn’t use the proper amount or spacing of adhesive to secure the membrane. In the second picture, wind got under the edge (where the cleats should be), subsequently pulled the nails out of the wood and lifted off the membrane.
Due to the lack of metal cleats on both roofs, it wasn’t a matter of if they would fail — but when, and how bad. Sign up for TeamCraft’s ShelterCare Program, and make sure your roofs are clean and secure before the storm hits.