Flashings

Date approaches for filing Beazer claims

The deadline for claims against Beazer East Inc. (formerly known as Koppers Co. Inc.) arising from the use of phenolic foam roof insulation is Dec. 13. All building owners and lessees of buildings where Koppers' phenolic foam roof insulation was installed on a metal deck between 1980-89 have until the Dec. 13 bar date to submit a claim.

Claims submitted by Dec. 13 will be processed and paid in accordance with the December 2000 settlement of a class-action lawsuit brought against Beazer East and Johns Manville Corp., Denver. The deadline to participate in the Johns Manville settlement was Dec. 13, 2001, but the deadline to submit claims against Beazer East was extended for an additional year.

A class-action suit was filed against Beazer East and Johns Manville in federal district court in Massachusetts in 1996 to recover damages on behalf of building owners who had phenolic foam roof insulation installed on metal roof decks. Phenolic foam roof insulation can lead to corrosion of steel roof decks because of formic and sulfuric acids released upon contact with moisture. The settlement provides for compensation for a field inspection, repair or replacement of a metal deck as needed and a pro-rated portion of the cost of new roofing.

Claims that can be filed until Dec. 13 pertain to phenolic foam roof insulation sold primarily by Koppers between Jan. 1, 1980, and Jan. 17, 1989, and installed over metal roof decks. Beazer East, when conducting business as Koppers, manufactured phenolic foam insulation under the brand names Koppers Rx, Exeltherm Xtra, Rx, Koppers phenolic, Genstar, Pittsburgh-Corning and Loadmaster from 1980 through Jan. 17, 1989, before selling the phenolic foam manufacturing process and facilities to Johns Manville. Johns Manville manufactured phenolic foam roof insulation from Jan. 18, 1989, through approximately March 31, 1992, under the brand names UltraGard Premier, Insul-Base Premier and Fesco-Foam board.

The settlement applies to all owners of buildings that had phenolic foam roof insulation installed directly on metal roof decks as of June 30, 2000.

To file a claim, contact the phenolic foam claims notice administrator at (877) 428-7374 or www.pfriclaims.com. Questions can be posed to the attorney representing the class of claimants or the notice administrator. The attorney for the class, John Martland, can be reached at Gilman & Pastor LLP, 999 Broadway, Suite 500, Saugus, MA 01906; telephone (781) 231-7850; fax (781) 231-7840; or Web site www.gilmanpastor.com. The claims administrator, Standish Legal Processing, can be reached at Stonehill Corporate Center, 999 Broadway, Suite 500, Saugus, MA 01906; telephone (877) 428-7374; or Web site www.pfriclaims.com.

If a claim is not filed by Dec. 13, a building owner will have no recourse to recover the costs of remediation or other damages from Beazer East. A separate claim must be filed for each property with phenolic foam insulation installed on a metal roof deck.

MRCA test results reveal roof assembly failures

At its convention in September, the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association (MRCA) revealed the findings of its recent study of the fire resistance properties of new and aged single-ply membrane roof assemblies. The study tested the spread of flame for six EPDM and TPO membranes installed in 34 Class A-listed roof assembly configurations. The spread-of-flame testing was conducted according to ASTM E108, "Standard Test Methods for Fire Tests of Roof Coverings," which is a code-recognized test method.

According to the study, 21 of the 34 tested assemblies failed the test. These findings are significant because the tested roof assemblies were thought to be fire-resistant. The fire resistance of roof assemblies is a critical element in building code compliance in most building occupancy types.

MRCA, with support from NRCA, is meeting with the affected manufacturers.

NRCA and RCI form joint task force

NRCA and the Roof Consultants Institute (RCI) recently formed the Joint RCI/NRCA Task Force on Submittals. The task force's first meeting will be held this month in Indianapolis.

The group's intent is to create mechanisms to improve communication between the contracting and consulting communities. For example, the task force plans to develop uniform procedures for submittals before bids are granted. RCI and NRCA believe a standardized document that outlines uniform procedures will save contractors, consultants, designers and building owners time and effort. The draft document will be submitted to NRCA's and RCI's boards of directors before implementation.

For more information, contact Tom Bollnow, an NRCA senior director of technical services, at (847) 299-9070, Ext. 218, or e-mail tbollnow@nrca.net.