What is this?

[Bob White]

New construction house ---

Roof too steep for an old geezer like me.

Saw this from ladder:

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a closer look:

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Anyone seen this before? I haven't ---

[hausdok]

Hi,

It's a SuperAnchor. They're required on new construction around here. Remove the vinyl cap and you've got a big strap with a hole in it there to hook your arrest gear to. Leave the cover off long enough and water gets past them and rots the trusses they're attached to.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[mgbinspect]

Mike,

I'm a bit lost. What is it's purpose? Was it necessary during construction as something to tie off to? Or, is it for anyone that now mounts the roof to tie off to?

Sorry, Just not at all familiar with such a thing.

[StevenT]

Mike,

Are you saying it's something to attach a safety harness to? I fell off a roof this past year, I have a harness, just didn't have a place to attach. If that's what it is, it's not a bad idea. With the cover on, do they present a problem in the future?

[hausdok]

Yes,

It's an anchor, ergo its name - Super Anchor. The roofers attach their arrest gear to it when they're working on the roof and they leave them behind. Maybe "required" is too strong a word. Maybe I should have said common as white on rice on new houses around here.

It's basically a big steel strap that's folded in half smf bent to fit over the top chord of the truss. There is a big hole punched in the end that projects above the roof, which you can't see because it's concealed behind the cover, then there's another hole and a bolt and ferrule through the other end. They install them on the top chord of a truss or over a rafter. The roof decking goes on and then when the roof is shingled the rubber boot is woven into the cover just like the vent bibs.

That black cover you are seeing is a black vinyl cover that is anchored to it with a snap tie so it doesn't get lost. The cover should always be over the top of the rubber seal because the seal gets distorted and doesn't seal tight to the anchor. If there's no cover over the anchor, water running down the anchor drains through the boot to the rafter chord, soaks into the wood and over time it causes the top chord of the truss to rot. So, cover must be on or they might end up with a ruined rafter years down the road.

I find the viny covers off and hanging upside down by the snap-tie filled with water all the time. They don't stay on very well at all.

Here, this is what they look like: http://www.superanchor.com/home.php

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[mgbinspect]

Cool! Never heard of it! New input! Excellent! This apparently is one of those things that is a Left coast phenomenon that will eventually reach the right coast?

Ooops... hmm... this was seen on the right coast. (GA) Well, still new to me?

I'll keep my eye out for one here in VA...

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by mgbinspect

Mike,

I'm a bit lost. What is it's purpose? Was it necessary during construction as something to tie off to? Or, is it for anyone that now mounts the roof to tie off to?

Sorry, Just not at all familiar with such a thing.

They use them here too. I think it's an OSHA thing rather than a building code thing. I see them on roofs that are steeper than 6:12.

They're just anchor points for the roofers to connect their fall-protection harnesses to. When the roof is done they throw the rubber condom thingy on them, I suppose, to prevent rusting.

Unlike Mike, I've never seen one leak. It's nice to have them there so that in 20 years when the next roofing crew comes along, they already have an anchor point in place.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[DonTx]

There's one spec home builder here that uses them on a regular basis. That is, the roofers install them on the roof, but do not use them. I guess some people think they look cool and make good conversational pieces during the walkthrough.

Toe boards nailed through shingles rule!!

[Brian G]

I've never seen one, but it's sensible idea. I've sure seen times when I would have loved to had a harness and something to hook to. Mostly on the way down though, which wouldn't work anyway. [:-scared]

Brian G.

What Goes Up May Have Hell on the Way Down [:-crazy]

[wingfoot]

I've started seeing them pop up on new construction here in Georgia lately. I asked a Builders Foreman on a new construction inspection the other day and he said he had no idea what it was. I was assuming it was some sort of tie off but wasn't sure. I've been meaning to ask but never had a good picture like Bob had to offer. Man this place offers a lot of outstanding information. I appreciate what you guys and gals contribute for all of us.

[Paul MacLean]

I've never seen one in Central Texas. Toe boards rule.

[mgbinspect]

I take it the cover serves as counter-flashing over some form of flashing built into the shingles?

Or..

I gather from Mike's post that there is simply a tight fitting rubber boot similar to a plumbing vent collar?

[hausdok]

Yes, there is a "tight" fitting rubber boot like you'd see on a plumbing collar. The vinyl cover, sock, condom, sheath - whatever you want to call it - is pushed down over the rubber boot and is supposed to stay in place from friction. I just don't see them staying very well though.

I think the cover is really meant to keep these things from rusting because I've found a few without covers that were rusting pretty badly. However, the "tightness" of the boot is relative to the care used by the roofer when he nails the boot down and interlaces it into the roof system. I've often found them stretched out of shape and making poor contact with the anchor and this has allowed some water to get by. When the homes are only a few years old, this doesn't seem like it's worth even worrying about because the amount that leaks past the seal is usually pretty small and the water evaporates or is absorbed into the wood of the truss chord or rafter before it can drip clear and fall onto and saturate the ceiling below. However, by the time they are 8 - 10 years old there can be nasty little punky sections around the bracket.

So, if it isn't dripping off onto the ceiling and leaking into the home why is a problem, right? Well, folks sometimes think of "rot" as being able to break off a chunk of wood with one's hand. If they don't find that, they think everything is fine and no rot exists when that might not necessarily be true. Sure, where there's advanced rot the wood will break off in your hands, but there's actually three stages of rot - incipient, intermediate and advanced. In the incipient stage the rot can't be seen but it is already weakening the wood. In the intermediate stage (where I first see visual evidence with these) a probe will go in more easily and one might notice discoloration or deformation of the wood surface. In the advanced stage (I've yet to find a rafter so badly damaged by these that it's been in the advanced stage.) you can grab the wood and crumble it in your hand.

It's that little bit of water draining down the bracket onto the shanks of those nails holding that bracket to the truss that is the issue. The nails split the wood as they enter and water seeps in around the nails. If one is in a relatively rainy climate like I am, this can keep the truss or rafter continuously damp for months on end. In late spring and summer, when the rains stop, any rot spore stops spreading, but the next season when the moisture returns it is revived. 8 to 10 years in without correction and you've got a rotten truss or rafter.

Bob, I apologize for going onto a Rot 101 thread drift. Of course you guys already know this stuff. I just have this propensity to allow my fingers and thoughts to ramble on, and on, and on....

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Inspectorjoe]

I've never seen a Super Anchor around these parts. Occasionally I see orange painted steel cables used as an anchor points. They are anchored to four inch diameter pipes that are bolted between two trusses or rafters. They are inserted through a small hole cut in the sheathing. When construction is completed, they are pushed under the shingle tab, back through the hole, and then the tab is sealed down with asphalt mastic. The anchor assembly is usually left in the attic.

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[Jim Baird]

Thank you once again Hausdok.

So are you saying you'd recommend removal of the Super Anchor if it's left behind?

Or should we just give an estimated "service" life?

[hausdok]

Nah,

If you remove it, you've got to get the hole patched. Given the skill pool I've been seeing, that's a pretty iffy proposition. I usually tell 'em to get that cap stuck on really tight with some black waterproof tape or butyl and look up there every once in a while and make sure the sheath is still on it. That way, it's there for their use, if they want to use it, and anyone doing maintenance for them will have something to attach to.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[ozofprev]

I recently returned from Charlotte, NC - my son's current home.

Every garage and home in his new development has these anchors. Mike & Jim, I'll be sure to tell him to keep his condom on. Thanks.

P.S. Nice search engine, Mike. Simply searched for 'anchor' and my questions were answered.

[hausdok]

Originally posted by ozofprev

Nice search engine, Mike. Simply searched for 'anchor' and my questions were answered.

Yes, Mike & Rose did a nice job with that. It's light years beyond the search engine that originally came with this software.

OT - OF!!!

M.