The Army Reserve Center in Twinsburg, OH had been experiencing rather severe icicle conditions on the roof edges and gutters during the winter months since the original construction. This condition, known as “ice damming” is common in cold climates, and is generally considered an adverse condition. It can be highly destructive to downspouts, gutters and to the shingles/roof system, creating both a safety hazard and maintenance issues.
The ongoing ice damming issue inevitably caused severe leaking within the interior of the facility. Technical Assurance was retained to provide analysis of, and consulting on, the various issues that were causing the ice damming as it related to the design and construction of the building envelope/roof. During the evaluation, our professionals found that the primary issues were with improper roof ventilation in both the design and construction of the roof asset. Some areas of concern included:
- Inaccurate size and style of gutters and downspouts
- Installed heating cables were not designed for a commercial building of that size and drainage magnitude.
- Interior smoke wall impeded air flow on the underside of roof deck. It was not allowing the air to flow from the gutter to the peak of the roof line.
- Breeches and voids in the air/vapor retarder membrane
- Batten insulation blocking the air flow at intake openings.
- Shingle fasteners secured at inaccurate depths.
Following the assessment and analysis of the roof system and ice damming issues, Technical Assurance provided follow-up observation on the remediation work to ensure it was completed in compliance with the construction documents. After construction, we provided an infrared (IR) scan to verify that the ventilation was working properly.
