SWR?

[Mike Reid]

Got a question for all you Florida inspectors who do wind mitigation inspections. I've been getting a lot of rejections of the secondary water resistant barrier credit folks should be receiving because I cannot provide photo's. (this barrier is as we all know is under the roof material whether it be shingle, tile, metal etc... and we cannot remove this material for obvious reasons) Florida Building Code 611.7.2 effective October 1, 2007 started requiring this barrier and insurance companies are rejecting without photo's which cannot be taken. (9 times out of ten by Citizens Insurance Which is the state run agency) Any ideas? As I don't Check This forum that often feel free (Please) respond to aadvantageinspection@yahoo.com

[Marc]

I'm not from Florida but if Florida follows the IBHS (Fortified) guidelines, the only secondary barrier visible from the underside of the roof deck is closed-cell foam applied at the corner between rafter and roof deck. Seems like a crappy way to do it but it's accepted or was accepted last time I checked.

So to answer your question, most forms of secondary barriers cannot be proved visually and the report should not confirm its presence, unless the homeowner has some other sort of evidence like documents. I tend to ask that question of the client in the interest of giving them every possible chance to gain that credit.

Also, of all the insurance company generated WMS forms I've seen, the ones by Citizen's are the most senseless, most outrageous of all. Pardon my drift.

Marc

[Chad Fabry]

As I don't Check This forum that often feel free (Please) respond to aadvantageinspection@yahoo.com

Wait, let me get this right.... you want an answer to your question but admit that that you're too lazy to check the forum for the answer and instead, you want one of us to make the effort to reach out by email?

That's very classy of you.

BTW, it's clear to everyone that your aadvantageinspection@yahoo.com is spelled that way because, well, you didn't think of it first.

[John Kogel]

Under tile and metal roofing, the barrier is visible between open strapping in the attic, no? Open strapping is standard here.

Same for Cedar, wood shingles but wood is not that common these days.

To see under asphalt shingles, lift the shingles at the eaves. Also the underlay is often visible around vent holes in the attics.

Maybe Chad could email you a copy of this post. He's a nice guy with time to burn. []

[Scottpat]

Chad pretty much said what I was going to say! When I have a question and that is every now and then, I post it to this site pretty much exclusively unless I have a reason that I don't want it to appear on any search and then it is to the ASHI private discussion board. But anytime I post a question I sure as heck make sure to check back often for any replies. Somethings you just need to make an effort to do!

[Mike Reid]

I admit I didn't think my request through but I work pretty much 7 days a week and have little extra time to spend online. My bad an I'm sorry if I offended anyone! As for the personal attack Chad, I feel sorry for you. You obviously have too much time on your hands!!

[Chad Fabry]

I admit I didn't think my request through but I work pretty much 7 days a week and have little extra time to spend online. My bad an I'm sorry if I offended anyone! As for the personal attack Chad, I feel sorry for you. You obviously have too much time on your hands!!

Mike, if you're working 7 days a week, you're doing it wrong.

John had some great advice. In addition to what he offered, SWRs are visible at rake edges when the roof is shingled and it's easy to lift a tile when it's tiled and metal is often visible from below... I'm sorry, what was your question?

If you're inspecting from the driver seat of your car, yes, it's hard to prove the SWR is there. I'm curious, if the insurance company gave you a $200 bonus to prove it was there, could you do it then?

[Tom Raymond]

SWR? Are we talking about underlayment? Felt? Rhino? Titanium?

I thought that stuff was standard practice.

[kurt]

Yes....what are we talking about? Is underlayment now SWR? Or is it SWRB?

If we're talking about underlayment, there's a few dozen ways to see it. Take one of these grind both ends sharp, and use them to lift shingles. I couldn't inspect a roof without a Red Devil.

Also, I'm pretty busy, so anyone responding should drive over to my house because I get tired of checking email.

[Marc]

Its SWB. I misspoke earlier.

The concept of Secondary Water Barrier was borne of a desire to prevent a rainwater breach of the roof deck in case the cover were lost to hurricane force winds. It keeps the water out, preventing expensive water damage to interior finishes and personal property until the storm passes and permanent repairs can be completed.

Its part of an engineered building standard intended for hurricane prone areas called Fortified for Safer Living, Fortified for Existing Dwellings, etc. It was engineered by a consortium of insurance companies called the Institute for Building and Home Safety. They also have resilience standards for other types of disasters such as flooding, lightning storms, earthquakes, snow storms, etc.

Its in the Louisiana Building Codes as an option. I think its mandatory in Fla. Florida gets hits much worse than we do.

Felt doesn't qualify as SWB because it can't withstand hurricane force winds. Grace's Ice & Water probably would qualify as well as some specially engineered tapes when applied over the seams of the roofing panels.

Marc