WHY VADA VENTS?
Every VADA Vented roof will be thoroughly inspected. Here, Technical Representative Andy Austin inspects a VADA Roof installation in Kansas.
Did you know that VADA IS THE ONLY VENTED ROOF THAT TESTS PERIMETER DESIGNS WITHOUT A VENT?
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VADA IS THE ONLY VENTED ROOF THAT ISN'T "TRUSTING" THE EXISTING ROOF FOR PERIMETER WIND UPLIFT RESISTANCE. VENTS TRANSFER UPLIFT TO THE ROOF TO THE RIGHT. VADA TESTS OUR OWN PERIMETER DESIGN. EVERYONE ELSE "TRUSTS" THE EXISTING. VADA DOESN'T "TRUST" WE VERIFY IN A UL / FM CHAMBER.
VADA VENTED ROOF WITHSTANDS GALE FORCE WINDS!
State of Emergency was declared for Quincy, IL, after severe weather on 7-13-2015.
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70-mile-per-hour winds caused extensive damage in Quincy, Illinois: Trees were uprooted, gas lines were broken, and impassible roads and roofs were damaged. At a local shopping center, roofs were damaged, stone coping caps were blown off, and HVAC units were damaged.
However, a 600 square (60,000 sq. ft.) VADA Vented Roof, on a 40’ tall building, was completely unharmed. Strategically placed VADA Vents create a vacuum, holding the roofing membrane in place. VADA Vents, in conjunction with an engineered perimeter, create a winning combination. This patented technology has never been damaged by a wind event in over 37 years of real-world applications.
Historically, vented roof technology has been obfuscated to make it seem magical, mystical, and overly complicated. I’ve seen wind uplift graphs, charts, and explanations that could make genius Stephen Hawking scratch his head. The original innovators of vented roofs leaned heavily on the “crazy genius” mystique to obscure simplicity and prevent understanding.
However, one of my college professors said, “The purpose of education is not so you can take simple concepts and make them seem complex. With education, you can take complex concepts and make them easily understood.” That statement struck me as extremely wise. Thus, I have never felt the need to be pedantic or attempt to complicate VADA Vented Roofs. It is fine with me if people understand what we are doing and why it works so perfectly.
Here is an explanation of VADA Vented Roofs:
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1. Vents neutralize wind uplift differential. All UL or FM wind uplift tests measure pressure differential. “How much pressure differential (between the top of the membrane and the bottom of the membrane) can a particular roofing system withstand before the attachment method fails?” This pressure differential is stated in Pounds Per Square Foot or PSF. (Please Note: Pressure differential over an airplane wing is why a 1,000,000-pound loaded 747 flies. Pressure differential equals lift).
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2. When a vent is introduced into the roof system, uplift pressure is negated from the top membrane and transferred to the roof system below. So, a roof system with a vent in the assembly isn’t actually testing the top membrane. A vent in the assembly means that the test is actually testing the bottom roof or the roof deck, whichever applies to a particular assembly.
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3. Because of #2, what is the uplift value of an existing roof? The answer is: “Who knows?” Every existing roof is unique. This is important because most vented roof systems “trust” the existing roof assembly to withstand the wind uplift pressures that the vents are transferring to the roof assembly below.
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4. This is crucial: VADA does NOT “trust” the existing roof assembly in the wind vortex area or ASCE7 area. VADA is the only vented roof system that tests our perimeter designs WITHOUT a vent in the test assembly panel. VADA tests our perimeter designs using a standard or conventional method. Therefore, VADA is the only vented roof system that confirms what our perimeter design will withstand on a particular roof deck. VADA’s design relies on VADA’s fasteners and VADA’s adhesives to provide the wind uplift resistance and does not rely on the existing roof’s wind uplift resistance. VADA has empirical data that we use to design roofs based on conventional test methods. This point is critical in understanding VADA’s historically perfect performance.
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5. VADA performs real tests designed to garner real data. The western United States utilizes wooden decks. These are often ½ inch plywood. So, when VADA tested wood decks, we used 7/16” OSB as our roof deck. Why? Because we would get great numbers from the tests? No. We used 7/16” OSB because it is the worst, minimal deck with the worst pull resistance that we could find. We then take the numbers from the worst deck that we could find and use those numbers to design all wood deck VADA designs.
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6. Vented roofs must be sealed for vacuum to occur or for pressure differential neutralization to occur (the two forces that negate wind uplift). In a vented roof, the perimeter attachment IS the air seal. It stands to reason that the vented roof design with the strongest, most robust perimeter attachment or air seal is the best design. Vented Roofs will perform until the air seal breaks and leaks air into the system. The seal is critical. VADA holds 3 current U.S. patents on over-engineered and robust perimeter attachments. Thus, VADA has never failed to perform in 37 years of real-world experience on large projects.
7. In the field of the roof, where wind uplift pressures are diminished, VADA Vents are installed. In the history of roofing, no one has ever seen a roof where a blow-off occurred in the middle of the roof. Wind damage always occurs on a corner or a perimeter and proceeds inward towards the middle of the roof. The interior of the roof is adequately protected from wind damage by VADA Vents.
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8. Conventional attachment methods mechanically fasten or fully adhere to the perimeter. Pick one. VADA uses both. Every VADA Vented Patented Perimeter uses fasteners and adhesives to hold the roof perimeter firmly in place. This over-engineered perimeter is expensive. But, we then omit field fasteners and adhesives, making VADA’s overall installation cost competitive. Let me state this again since it is critical to understanding VADA’s performance: VADA’s use of mechanical fasteners and adhesives in the ASCE7 vortex area provides an over-engineered perimeter that serves as both our perimeter attachment method and our air seal. Save the perimeter; Save the roof.
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9. As a young roofer, a vented roof company hired me to repair their wind-damaged roofs. We only worked on one area of the roof: The perimeter. When the perimeter design failed, the roof failed. Some roofs failed in dramatic fashion. Some roofs landed in the parking lot. Therefore, VADA patented one thing: Over-engineered perimeter designs. The attachment philosophy of “Over-Engineer the perimeter and vent the field” has never failed in the 37 years of real-world performance. And it is VADA’s goal that it never does.
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10. Every VADA Roof is individually designed for geographic location, building size and height, and the respective roof deck. Every VADA Roof is designed based upon UL1897 and FM4474 tests without a vent in the panel. Real empirical uplift data is used to design each VADA Vented Roof. And that is why VADA has never had a roof damaged by wind. Thirty-seven years and counting.
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11. VADA Vented Roofs are warranted by four of the best roof membrane manufacturers for up to 25-year No Dollar Limit warranties. Among those who warranty VADA: Three Multi-Billion Dollar membrane manufacturers and a high-end specialty manufacturer.
Brian Brookheart
Patent Holder