Have you all read the report in SIPS INFO section regarding the rotting SIP roofs in Alaska.. That scares me to death!

I really don't think that this is something to worry about. The problem was thourghly investigated, and found that two thirds of the problems were caused by poor construction practices, and the other third by poor choice of sealant and the instalation of the sealant in poor weather conditions. Now that the source of the problems are found, steps to avoid these problems can be taken to avoid them from happening again. In fact, since this incident, I am not aware of any simiilar problems arising since then. See the following statement from SIPA.


What were the conclusions relating to the cause of damage?
Results of the assessment by Lstiburek and his team of experts conclude that the damage is caused by the “lack of closure at the joints due to a lack of sealant or the lack of a continuous sealant or the failure of sealant at the joints.” The findings of the field investigation include, “…there are three categories of joint failure in the roof assemblies in Juneau, Alaska.:

“In the first category, virtually no effort was provided to obtain an airtight joint. No sealant of any kind was installed. These assemblies clearly failed due to workmanship.”

“In the second category, sealant was applied but the applied sealant was clearly installed in a haphazard manner. In these assemblies the failure was again due to workmanship. Poor detailing at ridges was common. Air sealing was ineffectual due to lack of effort.”

“In the third category, sealants failed in adhesion. This last category of failures concerns us because it appears that the applied sealants themselves failed. Further investigation is warranted regarding sealant failure and surface conditions. The difficulty of applying sealants in the appropriate location under typical weather conditions in Juneau, Alaska is, in our opinion, a major issue.”

http://www.sips.org/content/technical/index.cfm?PageId=161


Steve
www.GrandCountySIPs.com