NOTE: This information is subject to change. I will do my best to keep it up to date. Your help would be appreciated.
The roof on a building is often considered the largest
investment in the building process. In
this industry the term “as long as you have a roof over your head” is taken to
literal extremes. There are a myriad of companies that will be on any given
rooftop providing service to make sure that investment is well protected.
Everything from the roof membrane itself to the equipment on the roof is
covered by a company that provides preventative maintenance in order to keep
things as pristine as possible. It is vital to facility management to make sure
the rooftops are well protected at all times. With the elements, grease, wear
and tear, service errors, service gaps, and whole list of things can go wrong,
the job of keeping a rooftop pristine takes a lot of time, energy,
intelligence, experience, and the ability to save money.
With this in mind it is important that you know what
Rooftop Solutions offers in this ever-growing industry. It is also important
for you to know how our products and services work, and why they are superior
to other companies providing similar products and services.
Rooftop Solutions has a variety of products and services
designed to coordinate and bundle service programs as efficiently as possible.
Most of these products and services pertain to rooftop preventative
maintenance. Most of these products and services are of a forward thinking with
price, quality, environment, and impact all taken into consideration. What we
offer is something that you can stand by. What we
offer is something that truly is a solution.
The G2 Grease Guard Rooftop Grease Containment System
is the most superior on roof grease protection equipment on the market today.
With over 20 years of R&D and extensive product testing, our UL Listing
does not lie. The Grease Guard is on tens of thousands of rooftops nationwide.
So what is it? Really? Well in order to answer that question, you must first
understand a little bit about our biggest enemy, grease. NO NOT THE MOVIE JOHN
TRAVOLTA!
From the
Encyclopedia Britannica:
“Grease - thick, oily lubricant consisting of inedible
lard, the rendered fat of waste animal parts, or petroleum-derived or synthetic
oil containing a thickening agent.
White
grease is made from inedible hog fat and has a low content of free fatty acids.
Yellow grease is made from darker parts of the hog and
may include parts used to make white grease. Brown grease
contains beef and mutton fats as well as hog fats. Fleshing
grease is the fatty material trimmed from hides and pelts. Bone
grease, hide grease, and garbage
grease are named according to their origin. In some factories, food offal is
used along with animal carcasses, butcher-shop scraps, and garbage from
restaurants for recovery of fats.
Greases of mineral or synthetic
origin consist of a thickening agent dispersed in a liquid lubricant such as
petroleum oil or a synthetic fluid. The thickening agent may be soap, an
inorganic gel, or an organic substance. Other additives inhibit oxidation and
corrosion, prevent wear, and change viscosity. The
fluid component is the more important lubricant for clearances between parts that
are relatively large, but for small clearances the molecular soap layers
provide the lubrication.
Synthetic
grease may consist of synthetic oils containing standard soaps or may be a
mixture of synthetic thickeners, or bases, in petroleum oils. Silicones are greases in which both the base and the oil are
synthetic. Synthetic greases are made in water-soluble and water-resistant
forms and may be used over a wide temperature range.
The synthetics can be used in contact with natural or other rubbers because
they do not soften these materials.
Special-purpose greases may
contain two or more soap bases or special additives to gain a special
characteristic. “
Alright, now you have a
definition and a general idea of where it comes from, but why would it matter if
it was on our roof? Well, what types of roofs are there? What is a roof made
of?
According to the NRCA (National
Roofing Contractors Association) the different types of roofs are as follows:
Roof systems and materials generally are divided into
generic classifications: low slope and steep slope. Low slope roofing includes
water impermeable, or weatherproof, types of roof membranes installed on slopes
less than or equal to 3:12 (14 degrees). Steep slope roofing includes water
shedding types of roof coverings installed on slopes exceeding 3:12 (14
degrees).
Low-slope
roofing
There are
five generic classifications of low slope roof membranes or systems.
·
Built-up
roof (BUR) membranes
Most
low-slope roof membranes have three principle components:
- Weatherproofing
layer or layers — the weatherproofing component is the most important
element because it keeps water from entering a roof assembly.
- Reinforcement
— reinforcement adds strength, puncture resistance and dimensional
stability to a membrane.
- Surfacing
— surfacing is the component that protects the weatherproofing and
reinforcement from sunlight and weather. Some surfacings provide other
benefits such as increased fire resistance, improved traffic and hail
resistance, and increased solar reflectivity.
With some
roof membranes, a component may perform more than one function.
Steep-slope roofing
there are six generic classifications of steep slope roof coverings.
Steep-slope
roof systems typically are composed of individual pieces or components
installed in shingle fashion. Steep-slope roof assemblies typically consist of
three primary parts:
- Roof
deck — a roof deck is the structural substrate and usually is a wood-based
material such as plywood or oriented strand board (OSB).
- Underlayment
— underlayment provides temporary protection until a roof covering is
installed and provides a secondary weatherproofing barrier. Sometimes
underlayment is referred to as "felt" or "paper."
- Roof
covering — the roof covering is the external water shedding material.
So what are these roofs made of? Wiki says it best:
Synthetic Rubber
(Thermoset) – This type of membrane roof is made of large, flat pieces of
synthetic rubber or similar materials. These pieces are welded together at the
seams to form one continuous membrane. The finished roof’s thickness is usually
between 30 and 60 mils(thousandths of an inch) (.75mm to 1.5mm). Other types of
related materials are CSPE, CR, and ECR.[2]
Thermoplastic Membrane – This is also similar to
synthetic rubber, but the seams do not form a continuous membrane. The 'lap'
seams are bonded (melted or dissolved) with heat or solvents, and can be as
strong as the rest of the membrane. Other related materials are CPA, CPE, EIP,
NBP, PIB, and TPO.[2]
Modified Bitumen – This type of roofing is an
evolution of asphalt roofing. It is made from asphalt and a variety of
modifiers and solvents. There are several ways of
connecting pieces of this material. In a heat application process the seams are
heated to melt the asphalt together and create a seal. There is also a
cold-applied adhesive application process, and some self-adhesive forms of this
system. This material is also referred to as APP or SBS.[3]
High quality synthetic rubber membranes such as Prelasti EPDM rubber
can be used for creating a roof. This involves placing soil and plants on the
membrane roof, which helps to reduce energy consumption and carbon
emissions.
Now you understand about roof
types and what a roof is made of. You also understand grease and what it is
made of. So why do we not want to two together?
As you read grease is a
mixture of an animal byproduct or synthetic material with a thickening agent,
usually soap. In order to understand why FOG’s (Fats, oils, and greases) are
bad for rubber roofs is all about acids. Remember this in high school? Acids
and bases?
The
grease is neither acidic nor basic. Whilst the thickener is made by reacting a
fatty acid (e.g. stearic acid) with a base such as lithium hydroxide, this
forms a neutral soap, so grease should
be neutral. However, in order to get
the best properties, the grease usually uses a slight excess of base leaving it
slightly alkali. Solidified frying oil is actually more neutral when used,
but oxygen during the cooking processes creates what is known as acidic oxidation. That basically means
when the grease is used in fryers and found on grill tops it becomes acidic
from the oxygen in the air.
Basically,
Acids don’t react well with rubber. The acids actually break down the polymers
of isoprene units in the roofing membranes and cause them to harden and erode.
Along with exposure to the elements of nature, the roof can easily become damaged.
So
wait? How does grease get onto the roof in the first place?
Grease,
much like water, can vaporize at high temperatures. This vapor rises up with
the heat from the cooking surface or fryer because as we all know, heat rises.
During the building process, a hood and exhaust system is put in place to draw
the heat and smoke from the cooking processes out of the building safely. Who
wants to eat at a hot restaurant filled with smoke? As that heat rises and gets
carried into the exhaust system, the vaporized grease goes with it. As it works
its way up the duct work it sticks to every surface it can. To make matters worse, as the grease vapor
cools it re-solidifies back into its original state. Eventually the whole
exhaust system is covered in grease.
Some of this grease gets pushed out onto the rooftop via the exhaust
fan. This is where grease meets rubber. This is one of the problems the Grease
Guard solves. There are a few more that we will discuss a little later.
Now
what you need to know here is two things. One, grease is fuel to a fire, and two, regulatory bodies such as the
NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency), and most local building/city codes
require that you get this ductwork cleaned at least once a month. This is known
as kitchen exhaust cleaning or KEC for short. It is an extreme fire hazard to
have fuel to a fire right above your cooking surface as you can imagine. What
you won’t read in any book is that very few grease producing facilities in the
world follow this regulation. Most restaurants have their ductwork cleaned on
an 8 or 12 week interval. Sounds dangerous, doesn’t it? Check out these statistics:
-
Over 98% of all restaurant fires are due in part to kitchen
exhaust grease and oil
-
120,000 fires are reported each year and cooking equipment
is found to be the culprit
-
Kitchen fires result in 3,660 injuries and 220 deaths per
year in the US alone
-
Kitchen fires result in an annual average of $362 million dollars worth of damage
Now
then, are you about to fall asleep? The stats didn’t wake you up? Don’t worry;
we have come to the exciting part! The Grease Guard.
G2
Grease Guard Rooftop Grease Containment System
As
you have probably gathered by now the Grease
Guard is a grease collection system that gets built around grease producing
exhaust fans to collect fats, oils, greases, and other chemicals and
effectively prevents them from damaging rooftops. You can see above what it looks like.
In this product overview you will
learn everything about this system from how it works to what each piece is made
of. You will also learn about the maintenance of a Grease Guard and how our
Service Team makes sure these units stay in proper working condition.
Grease Guard Important Points:
Collects Grease – The Grease Guard prevents grease from reaching the membranes of
the roofing system. It also prevents grease from getting into the storm drains
which can cause blockages in the sewage system. Blockages in the sewage system
can lead to floods, sewer fires, and contamination of water supplies. Grease also damages rooftops as we have discussed. This could lead to expensive roof repairs, voided warranties, and a host of other issues.
Fire Retardant
– The Grease Guard is fire retardant. This is to ensure that grease collected
into the system does not make it a fuel tank. It is also to make sure that if a
fire does break out that it does not spread across the roof system. This
ensures the safety of the staff inside as well as the neighbors.
Waterproof
– There are other containment systems out there. The Grease Guard however is
the only one that takes water management into consideration. If you have a
bucket collecting grease, what happens when it rains and that bucket overflows?
BOOM! Grease on your roof. The Grease Guard allows the successful passage of
water without letting a drop of grease out. It is to grease what a sponge is to
water.
Safety – Slip and
fall accidents are very dangerous and are happen so frequently they are
recorded by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). Grease is
slippery. If there is grease all over the roof, someone could fall and get hurt
climbing up and down a ladder or even worse over the edge of the roof deck.
Cost Effectiveness – The Grease Guard is an advanced system. This system is being
offered at prices lower than ever before to ensure that clients can afford
them. While the cost of the units drops, the maintenance for the units stays
consistent enough to make it one of the cheapest maintenance programs on the
roof. The saying goes it only cost you a cup of coffee a day!
Experience –
The Grease Guard product has been around for almost 20 years! We have revised
and reworked the products and services we offer to make sure they fit the
industry and the needs of the people. We know the system works. We have
millions of instances to prove it!
Other Services Bundled – Because Grease Guard is just one of the services we offer, if
we service your Grease Guard we will do the other services for just the cost of
parts. We are not going to charge an additional service charge!
Professional Account Management – Our people have been trained and retrained.
They know how to engage the customer. They know the products. They know how to
devise the solutions needed to solve problems for good. Our sales process
provides the client with full account reviews with pictures.
Now let's break down a Grease Guard into individual parts. You need to see just how it works.
Parts:
The Grease Guard is comprised of
multiple parts that all play a vital role in its purpose.
Extrusion
– (4) extrusions build the frame of the Grease Guard unit. Each extrusion can
be up to 120 inches long, although we tend to cut them down smaller to accommodate
for shipping costs and unit sizes. The frames are made from an anodized
aluminum that is super strong and light to protect against all forces that may
act upon it.
Quick Connect Corner – The quick connect corner connects the extrusions in order to
hold the frame together. On the inside of the corner is a locking mechanism
that allows the extrusions to be slid into the corner for a quick tight fit.
The corners are made of a hard copolymer plastic for durability and
survivability.
Hold Down Pole
– The hold down pole keeps the filter set in place in the frame as well as
offers more structural stability for the unit. The hold down poles are
connected with a flexible polymer cross connector to make sure the hold down
poles remain properly placed. The hold
down pole is made of pultruded fiberglass for flexibility and durability.
Flashing/Flashing Corners – The flashing is installed on the base of the fan to
ensure that grease is redirected into the containment system. The flashing
corners connect the pieces to make sure there is 360 degrees of protection. The
flashing is made of a 22 gauge galvanized steel for strength and stability. The
flashing corners are made from a hard copolymer plastic for durability and
survivability.
Filter Media: The Grease
Guard filter is the most complex piece of the system and is comprised of
multiple layers that each plays a role in the unit’s performance. We will now
take a look at the filter system, layer by layer.The top layer is number 1. The bottom layer is number 6.
1 – Top
Pre-Filter - A pass-thru,
noncombustible, self-extinguishing filter constructed from an open
cross-section polymer. Helps to protect the layers underneath from damage and
collects thicker greases, oil, and chemicals.
2 – Transfer Layer - Constructed from polyolefin fiber.
Designed for quick transfer of oil based fluids to the absorption layers, while
repelling rainwater. UV stability protects the absorption layers from damaging
sun rays.
3 – Advanced Filter Composite -
Constructed from an engineered open cell polyolefin fabric. Over 50 layers of
absorbent microfibers wick and contain oil based fluids, while repelling
rainwater. Absorption capacity is up to 39 fluid ounces per square foot.
4 – Barrier Layer - Constructed from a closed cell
polymeric blend that provides a leak proof barrier.
5 – Bottom Layer - An airflow layer constructed from
an open cross section polymer. This layer supports the absorption and security
layers while allowing air to circulate throughout the entire filter system.
6 – Fire Shield - A fire-proof barrier that protects
the roof & building from any potential exhaust system fire hazards.
Now that you
are familiar with the parts of the Grease Guard you need to know a how to
define one grease guard from another. Each system can have its own size, shape,
and performance level to meet the needs of the application.
XD & XHD – There are two levels of
performance the Grease Guard currently offers.
XD -The XD model stands for “Standard Duty”. The standard
duty Grease Guard has four layers of AFC grease absorption material built into
the filter system. It has an absorption capability of approximately 39 fluid
ounces per square foot. The XD is suited for low to moderate levels of FOG
production. You will use an XD on most restaurants and low level industrial
production facilities.
XHD – The XHD model stands for “Heavy Duty”. The heavy duty
Grease Guard has eight layers of AFC grease absorption material built into the
filter system. It has an absorption capability of approximately 78 fluid ounces
per square foot. The XHD is suited for High levels of FOG production. You will
use an XHD on most industrial facilities and some high grease output
restaurants.
Sizing – Each grease
guard size is defined by the number of inches the unit is (or by level of grease production from the fan). We have instituted
standard sizes based on the curb sizes most frequently found in the field. In
order for a Grease Guard to be effective the manufacturer recommendation for
protection is 15-18 inches on each side of the unit. That would mean, in order to
size a Grease Guard correctly, we would need the OCD’s or outside curb dimensions of the
curb the fan is mounted on. Let me explain:
Let’s
say a curb is 24 inches square. That would be 24x24 inches.
In order for containment to be effective we would need 15-18 inches of coverage on
each side of the unit. So how do we calculate that? Easy, add 30 inches to the
provided curb dimensions. In this case, the math would suggest we need a Grease
Guard that is 54x54 inches. Our closest standard size Grease Guard would be our
60x60 inch unit or 5x5 feet. Now what is the model number for a 60x60 inch
unit? Let’s take a look:
Is
the unit XD or XHD? Let’s say the above example is XD or standard duty. OK. Now
what size is the unit? 60x60 correct? So the model number for this unit would
be XD60 (only one dimension is used as they are both the same size). If a unit
has a curb of 24x36 we would first add 30 inches, 54x66. Our closest standard
size unit would be a 60x72 (smaller dimensions always go first). So the model
Grease Guard you would need would be our XD60x72. Easy right? A Grease Guard
can be designed for any level of protection or size. Our current record is
200x200 feet! For a complete list of standard unit sizes please contact your Account Executive.
Drip Guard – There may
be cases where a four sided containment system is too much based on the volume
of grease coming from a unit. This could be a dry cleaner or pizza making
restaurant. There also may be locations who want both four sided and single
sided containment. For these instances we have a product called the Drip Guard.
The Drip Guard replaces the catch pan that most fan manufacturer’s put on
exhaust fans. The Drip Guard has the same exact make up as a Grease Guard, but
smaller. See below.
Large &
Custom Units
– You may encounter a situation where a unit is too large for the extrusion
sizes we offer. You may also encounter situations where custom fitting and
creative installs are needed to get the job done. For these processes, we have
what is called an Extrusion Connector. See below.
The
extrusion connector allows for extrusions to be connected at the ends allowing
for limitless sizing potential. Make sure to take this into consideration when
pricing and submitting orders.
Grease Guard
Maintenance
As
with anything in this world you need to take care of your Grease Guards to
ensure they stay working as they are designed to. Over time the filter media
can fill with grease which is very dangerous. Other concerns such as missing
hold down poles, missing flashing, bent extrusions, and whole list of other
unforeseeable events could happen with a Grease Guard on your roof. It is
necessary for the Grease Guard to be checked periodically for these issues.
Rooftop
Solutions boasts a National Service Team that is able to access any rooftop
with a containment system in the US and make sure to keep it in working order.
In this part of the overview we will learn everything there is to know about
maintaining a Grease Guard.
Rooftop
Solutions currently operates on a quarterly maintenance schedule. Each Service
Technician travels a 3 month route that allows them to target all of the
locations currently on a maintenance program. This means we service Grease
Guards every 3 months! Three months is a perfect frequency for servicing a
Grease Guard as in most cases, the unit has not reached its maximum absorption
abilities. As new locations are added, Operations makes sure to get those
locations in route. We currently guarantee new installs within 45 days of sale
plus one day for processing. You will
come to know these technicians over time.
Servicing a
Grease Guard
The
Grease Guard filter system is sectional in most cases. That means it is cut into sections.
See the below diagram.
Here
is an XD60 Filter layout. Each side of the unit has its own layers of the
filter. This means for one XD60 you would actually need:
(4)
30x60 Whites (Top Layer and Air Flow Layer)
(2)
30x60 Blues (AFC, the Transfer Layer and Barrier Layer are included in the AFC)
(2)
30x60 Fire Shields
This
makes servicing a Grease Guard much easier as grease production is typically on
one side of a fan. This means we can rotate the filter set if there isn’t much
grease on the other side. This also makes replacing individual pieces much
easier and much more cost effective.
So
what does our Technician do? This is often called our Scope of Work.We will provide the following
services:
·
Inspection of the
Grease Guard Unit(s) to determine performance and roof protection the unit is
providing at the beginning of each service
·
Evaluate the
unit(s) have been protected from chemical and waste water from exhaust cleaning
services
·
Inspection of
unit(s) for any damages or missing parts and materials
·
Replace or rotate
parts and materials to ensure optimal performance of the system until the next
service interval
·
Check compliancy
of NFPA 96 code pertaining to hinges, fan access, grease containment, and
cleanliness of inner fan bowl
·
Identify hazards
such as exposed wiring, broken equipment, slip fall hazards, loose ladder
access, and roof hatch issues
If a Grease Guard is not
maintained it will stop working; the grease will overflow onto the rooftop
causing a huge mess. The fire retardant parts of the system will be nullified
making it a fire hazard. The problem will continue as if a solution was never
proposed. This is why it is important to make sure a service agreement is
attained with every unit. Service agreements are not required, but someone must
be in charge of maintaining the unit or there is no purpose for its purchase.
That’s
it! With a little bit of practice and some experience you should know the
Grease Guard in and out. Here’s a review of what we covered:
-
What is grease?
-
What are the sales points of the
Grease Guard?
-
What types of roofs are there?
-
What are the roofs made of?
-
Why do we want to keep grease off the
roof?
-
What is a Grease Guard?
-
How does it work?
-
How/why do we maintain the Grease
Guard?
If you have any questions, which you certainly may, please contact me directly. I can answer it all for you. You can email me at Greg.Stark@RooftopSolutions.com or even just call me at 224-293-1061.
Thanks for reading another exciting post. Thanks to all of my sources for their information. I look forward to hearing from all of you.
