"Focus On Roofing"

Upon further reflection, I've decided to focus on roofing impropriety as a private mission, and not subject you to it here. Ms. Janet Campbell is the master in this area, and you can read all about it in her blog. Janet is listed under "Trusted Professionals" .

I apologize for letting a personal campaign affect my writing, as I have far too many topics of interest to discuss, and writing time is scarce due to my very intense schedule. Negativity takes a great deal of energy to expose, yet little to create. This is what we're up against.

I will be focused on sustainability issues for a couple of days, but will get back to providing useful roofing information over the weekend. Which roofs are best for cistern use? What are the harmful contaminants, and how do I guard against them? Can I water my fruits and vegetables with water collected from my roof?, etc.

Thanks for spending time with me today, and keep looking "UP".

Robert R. "Ron" Solomon

"Roofing Scams Targeting Public Work"

Dear Friends:

Tomorrow, I'll be embarking on what will surely be a monumental journey. I will be punished for bringing detailed information to you which illustrates common "scams" that cost you hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars.

The FBI is involved, and many people are squirming beneath the light of truth. Others who have tried to expose them have been exposed to death threats, full time surveillance, and anything you can dream of.

The ones who have come before me deserve all the credit, as I've only been researching the topic for 4 years. YOU WILL BE SHOCKED, and that's a guarantee. I can work day and night on these wrongdoings, but cannot solve the problem alone. This is why I've joined about 5 others in the United States who selflessly give of themselves on your behalf.

Roofing professionals can be of the highest moral character, and I respect them for it. But we have a few manufacturers, and consultants, who do not feature open, fair, competition, and seek to use alternative sales methods which are not in your best interest.

As always, I will simply provide the data in it's entirety, and you will be in charge of whatever level you wish to pursue it. If at all. But I am certain of this: Charging taxpayers twice the price of equal products is wrong. Locking out competition is wrong. Exclusivity is wrong.

These issues are easily solved, and after I describe what is going on, we will discuss how we can stop it. Here, we discuss modern roofing technology, sustainability, taxpayer value, and inclusiveness of all people.

Tomorrow will make you angry, but I hope it invokes action. You deserve a much better return on your tax dollars, and roofing investments. I am bracing for backlash from the perpetrators, but I'm not the one under investigation by the FBI.

Thank you so much for visiting, and for those who've embraced what we do here. Bless you.

Enjoy your day, and remember to keep looking "UP".

Robert R. "Ron" Solomon

"Secret To Success"

I have a great number of topics on my desk to share with you, but they don't really mean anything, unless we understand the most important topic of all: HONESTY.

I know, "Ron, we don't need you to tell us about anything except roofing". But, I happen to admire the brilliant business anchor Mr. Neil Cavuto, and his words seemed to describe why so many contractors are distracted, and forget how important our "word" is. I hope you find merit in his very straightforward comments. Friends, this is Mr. Neil Cavuto:

Secret to Success
Monday, June 18, 2007
By Neil Cavuto

This is just me talking here, but you want to know the secret to getting ahead? I mean, the real secret?

It has nothing to do with talent. Nothing to do with connections.

I'm not saying those things don't help, but here's what clinches it: Keeping your word. Doing what you say.

I know it sounds simplistic, but I'll tell you what, a lot of people don't keep their word.

Contractors who don't show up when they say they will.

Companies that don't honor guarantees when they swore they would.

Car salesmen who suddenly forget promises made when they insisted they would not.

I don't know about you, but I'd gladly pay more — maybe not a lot more — but more for someone who does what he says.

Sadly, few do or certainly a lot fewer than when my dad was alive. He used to say his word was his bond and a handshake his contract.

Simpler times, I suppose, but more honorable times, when we appreciated others' time.

So here's my own nickel and dime advice to any contractor — any worker — in any business:

You say you're coming at 2 p.m., come at 2 p.m.

You can't make it, phone to say you can't make it.

Give an estimate. Stick to the estimate.

It's called common courtesy. It's also called service. People remember you for it. And think twice about ever dealing with you if you lie about it.

From here, we will work forward, assuming all are on board with this basic premise. It will help explain my reasoning and thought process in future posts. You will see that I am not sympathetic to techniques, or arrangements, that are contrary to an honest approach.

Tomorrow, I'll have a direct roofing topic, but felt compelled to share these thoughts with you. If anyone is ever offended by my comments, you may email me, and I will forward my home number, so you and I can speak directly. I will immediately retract any comments that are not accurate, but request you base your point on science or public record. Fair?

Your time and kind consideration are always appreciated here. Keep looking "UP".

Best,

Robert R. "Ron" Solomon

School Roofing Scams: An Introduction

Friends, I once thought I was alone in exposing "Proprietary Specifications" in the roofing industry. I'm not. A real warrior beat me to it, and I find I'm not alone. I'm very careful not to post anything that is not public record, and it's you who must make the decision. Please know I do not find joy when reporting these things to you. Quite the opposite is true.

http://cbs13.com/video/?id=74770@kovr.dayport.com

This is but ONE example of a trend all over this country(and abroad). We are laying off educators, lack basic necessities, and are cutting relevant programs. This is not an isolated case, because that would be unfair. You will see further examples for you to evaluate, but I don't want to inundate you with the avalanche of documented cases. ANYONE with a computer has the same access I do.

If you are angry, good. You should be. My only responsibility here is to accurately present information for you to consider, nothing more.

As I viewed the clip, my mind went to the decent people who readily volunteer their time, and resources, to assist children. Taking that away, and negating all the good work, is (in my opinion) sinful and absent of conscience.

Soon, I will share with you, how to eliminate this ...............well, you fill in the blank. Like I said, you make the decision. Ms. Janet Campbell does a masterful job of presenting the issue in it's entirety. She is linked under "Trusted

Which Roofs Are Considered To Be Green" Poll

Well, obviously the poll was a big hit with millions of people.

Of the groups listed, "Green" roofs were Vegetative, and White Single Ply. White asphalt shingles, and white modified bitumen, are not "Green", and add to "Heat Islands".

Tomorrow, I'll start another riveting poll that will no doubt capture your imagination.

The winner of the poll (Mr. Kevin Songer) receives a 2011 Corvette (and payment book).

Thanks to everyone for playing along.

Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my lovely wife Christy. I depend upon her sweetness to balance out my angst, and that's a tall order folks. It's sort of like living inside a pinball machine.

Be good,

Ron

"Understanding Roofing Warranties"

Today, I will make an attempt to describe roofing warranties, and what they mean.

First, let's understand the relationship between the roofing contractor and the roofing material manufacturer. In order to be an "Approved Applicator" for almost all major roofing material manufacturers, you will be required to successfully complete three projects using their products.

The contractor is required to request inspections (startup, in progress, and completion). Assuming the projects are done according to specification and achieved a level of competence, you will then become an "Approved Applicator" of their material, and qualify for manufacturer warranties for your client.

All set? At this point, you are an Approved Applicator, and sign an Approved Applicator Agreement, and receive certification. Great Ron, why do you sign an "agreement"? The agreement stipulates the contractor is responsible for roof repairs (leaks) for a period of two years. After two years, the manufacturer becomes the "Guarantor" for the balance of the warranty.

Most roofing specifications are very clear when they demand a two year contractor's guarantee, and (varies) a twenty year manufacturer's warranty. It is not relevant if a contractor offers a 3,4,5, etc. year guarantee, as it is a moot point. It's a sales trickery thing, giving a false impression. Regardless of what the contractor says, he is only on the hook for two years.

I'll discuss warranty vs. guarantee, and their respective definitions another day. The only thing you need to understand here is who is the "Guarantor". Your contractor can be out of business tomorrow, so his guarantee would be worthless. I see it every day. Can I get a show of hands?

We'll talk briefly about types of warranties, and I am very serious about what I'm trying to impart here. All warranties are "Limited Warranties", and contain stipulations the owner must adhere to. The owner must maintain the roof system in a reasonable manner, and report any leaks within a 24-48 hour time frame, which is both reasonable and fair.

I'm sure a few people said NO to my limited warranty statement, and said "what about No Dollar Limit warranties"? Here is something I regard as gospel: NEVER install, or specify, a roof system that does not have a "No Dollar Limit" warranty, commonly referred to as an "NDL". It means the owner will not be out of pocket for roof repairs or replacement throughout the term of the warranty. PLEASE digest that. However, by definition, it is a "Limited Warranty".

The owner is not served by entry level (15 yr.) warranties. There is great VALUE in choosing a mid level roof system, and achieving a 20 year warranty. The upgrade allows the owner to keep many thousands of dollars in the bank for an additional 5 years. That can be a very significant sum of money, for a slight up front cost. NDL warranties are not prorated.

"NDL" warranties are offered by all major manufacturers, and in many cases are backed by surety's, or bonding companies. Top notch manufacturers like GAF, Firestone, Carlisle, DOW, Sarnafil, etc. have the financial resources to back up vast numbers of applications. I encourage you to take a moment to research the financial status, before enlisting a specialty, or "boutique" material manufacturer for obvious reasons.

The firms I mentioned above are representative, not exclusive, as there are many other firms too numerous to list in this space. Johns Manville is a fine company, and on it goes. I don't normally like to share personal observations, but I do not install roof systems that are not readily available from LOCAL SUPPLY HOUSES. This is important should you run short on material, and are holding up a job.

Tomorrow, I will discuss the relationship between all parties when installing a roof (architect, consultant, permit jurisdiction, etc.) and how it may apply to your specific project. It is critical all parties work in concert, and while that doesn't always happen, I can help reduce the grief.

I would like to introduce two dear friends of mine who are outstanding core individuals, and am proud to be associated with.

Mr. Laurence (Larry) P. Dickie, AIA, CP - Principal Consultant - Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc.
http://www.rimkus.com/ Tampa, Florida.

Larry and I have worked together for many years, and I've found him to be exceptionally skilled, and more importantly, a man of his word. Larry's handshake is as good as any contract as far as I'm concerned.

Ms. Janet C. (for Coral) Campbell, an extremely capable architect located in San Francisco, Calif. I enjoy an outrageous rapport with Janet, and we have open conversations on many topics. Janet is probably the top crusader in this country as it pertains to consumer fraud being perpetrated by unscrupulous roofing material manufacturers, and I'm proud of her. Very proud.
Please be enlightened by what she has to say, and ILLUSTRATE. It will arm you, and make you ask why? Hopefully, you will be motivated to ask your school district if they are involved in these practices. Find Janet at:

http//schoolroofingscam.blogspot.com/

Or, you can just type in Roofing Scam Targeting Schools, and you will be astonished.

I am overwhelmed by the many people who care what I have to say, and will do my very best to offer accurate, and useable information, to make your roofing experience more palatable.

How dry do you want to be today?

Keep looking "UP" my friends.

Respectfully,
Robert R. "Ron" Solomon

"Overheated Prisoners @ DOC"

A theme in this blog is to apply roofing science to "real life" scenarios as it pertains to you as a taxpayer. Here, we try to solve problems and save money, while protecting the environment.

Sounds crazy doesn't it? Well, I think it can be done, and will prove how.

It gets very hot here in Florida, and I am trying to illustrate the value of "Cool Roofs" vs. petroleum based (mainly modified bitumen or built up roofing), and how it affects YOUR taxpayer dollars. You will probably grow tired of my constant comparisons, but I think it's something you need to know, and must know.

USA
How hot is too hot on death row?

In a lawsuit, Florida inmates say lack of fans or air conditioners is cruel and unusual punishment.
Warren Richey (richeyw@csps.com)
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

MIAMI

Is lack of cool air in hot prisons cruel and unusual punishment?
Cast your vote.

Florida's summers are notoriously long and hot and humid, but apparently nowhere in the state are they longer or hotter or more humid than in a six-by-nine-foot cell on Death Row.

A federal judge in Jacksonville is being asked to consider whether the state's decision not to provide air conditioning - or even fans - in its prisons amounts to cruel and unusual punishment in violation of US constitutional safeguards.

It is an issue that arises most frequently in Southern states, where high summer temperatures can make prison life nearly unbearable.

There are no clearly established standards as to how much heat and humidity prisoners must endure before officials take special remedial action. Last summer, two inmates at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton died of heat-related causes during a heat wave that boosted cell temperatures into the 100s.

The American Correctional Association suggests summertime temperatures inside prisons should range from 66 to 80 degrees F. But the vast majority of US prisons are not air conditioned and prison officials set their own standards.

The Florida lawsuit, filed on behalf of some 300 death-row inmates at the Union Correctional Institution southwest of Jacksonville, says the prison's own temperature logs demonstrate conditions that pose a danger to the health of the prisoners.

"During July and August, the recorded temperatures in the cell area during the day are almost always in excess of 90 degrees F, frequently exceed 100 degrees, and have been as high as 110 degrees," the suit says.

Two death-row inmates, Jim Chandler and William Kelley, complain in the suit that excessive heat has left them feeling sick and dizzy. They say prison rules bar them from affixing pieces of cloth and cardboard to their cell walls to deflect air from wall-based blowers toward their bunks. And they say that recent installation of metal security screening over their cell bars is further reducing the minimal air flow.

"We are not necessarily saying this building has to be air conditioned. We are just saying that air temperatures are too high and something needs to be done to correct that," says Randall Berg, a Miami lawyer who filed the suit on the inmates' behalf. "The state is housing inmates under conditions that are barbaric and causing them severe health problems."

Prison officials say that long hot summers are a fact of life in Florida. C.J. Drake, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Corrections, says that the two complaining inmates are longtime death-row residents, with Mr. Kelley arriving in 1984 and Mr. Chandler arriving in 1981.

"They haven't acclimated themselves to the heat after 16 and 19 years on death row?" Mr. Drake asks. "They are only now complaining about the heat?"

Drake says the lawsuit is based on inaccurate or incomplete temperature data and that prison officials are prepared to demonstrate in court that conditions at the prison are acceptable.

He says officials took temperature readings two weeks ago and found that when outside temperatures were 98 degrees, temperatures on Death Row were 86.9 degrees. Later that same day, officials recorded outside temperatures of 100.5 degrees and inside temperatures of 88.8 degrees.

Prison officials stress that inmates have access in their cells to water and that if they become ill from excessive heat they will be taken to the prison infirmary, which is air conditioned.

They add that there is no historical evidence of inmates suffering substantial medical problems related to excessive heat. "All they have is inmates complaining that it is too hot," Drake says.

Fred Markham knows a thing or two about prisons, having spent 27 years behind prison bars in Texas. Mr. Markham, who now works for Prison Legal News in Seattle, says Texas prisons are not air conditioned, but most provide fans. Even so, summers are difficult.

"You sit in the cell and you sweat, hour after hour," Markham says. "I've seen fistfights over who would get to sleep on the floor because the concrete was cooler."

"If you are locked in that cell for 23 hours a day it gets pretty ... intolerable because you are only showering every second or third day. So there are a lot of baths taken out of the toilet. I've done it thousands of times."

Markham says prison officials who keep their inmates cooler are likely to experience fewer problem inmates than those who let them broil. He says fans would be a welcome addition in most prisons, but "try to get a state legislature to kick down $1 million to buy fans for prisoners ... not in this universe."

Inmate-rights experts say prison officials are afforded wide discretion in running their facilities, such as setting budget priorities that may exclude air conditioning and even the purchase of fans.

But these specialists stress that prisons must provide a humane and safe atmosphere. If prison officials deliberately seek to use excessive heat as a form of additional punishment, they say, that could rise to the level of cruel and unusual punishment.

"Many prison officials and members of the public have lost sight of what an astonishing punishment the loss of liberty is," says Jamie Felner, a prisoner-rights specialist at Human Rights Watch in New York.

Many prisoner-rights experts stress that, at some point, most prisoners will be released and rejoin society. "If we don't do anything for them while they are in prison, they are just going to come out angry individuals," says Kara Gotsch of the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project. "That is not the kind of person you want to live next to."

First, I would like us to set aside our differences, and not get drawn into what prisoners deserve, and what they don't deserve. We'll grow old debating, and sharing opinions on that, but this blog is based on science and fact, so we'll continue.

Why are the prisons hot in the first place? They're hot because the DOC specifies modified bitumen roofs, and many buildings do not ventilate well. As I've said before, these roofs greatly amplify ambient temperature readings. I'm going to get blue in the face, but YOU CANNOT INSTALL PETROLEUM BASED ROOFS IN THE VICIOUS FLORIDA SUN, AND NOT EXPECT THEM TO BE HOT!!!

The DOC's solution was not to do the very obvious by installing "Cool Roofs" for far less money than they spend on "Hot" roofs, but they are spending $750,000.oo dollars to teach inmates how to install....Ready?..........Solar Panels!

It is not uncommon for the DOC to direct purchase materials and have the inmates install them, but I can't tell you how many times I've been called in to clean up the mess of unskilled workmen. Friends, I've gone to prisons where the material was laying flat on the ground, melted, and completely ruined. The roofing portion was a criss cross of backward seams, laps, etc.

So, for that effort, YOU received:

1.) The material YOU purchased had to be removed from the site and deposited into a landfill.

2.) The roof YOU paid for had to be completely removed (a very difficult task), and deposited into a landfill.

3.) Purchase brand new material.

4.) Pay for a professional, licensed, contractor to do it correctly.

Now, I can't blame the inmates, because roofing with 450 degree asphalt, or a propane torch, in the Florida sun, might not be the best source of motivation. Did I mention each roll of modified weighs 100 lbs.?

I am working every day to change what I feel to be a barbaric, inhumane, and unsafe environment for humans to earn a living, or in this case "pass time". Countless millions of dollars are being wasted by increased energy demands we are CREATING, when it really doesn't have to be that way. This is what it looks like in real life, and I dare someone to say "foot traffic" or "redundancy of plies".

These workmen do not have ice water coursing through their veins, and I am offended by those who don't hesitate to put them in such a dangerous environment. You think that's a "cool roof" because it's white, don't you? That thing is so full of petroleum it's sickening, and ABSORBS heat, not REFLECT it.

If anyone from the DOC wishes to contact me, I would be more than happy to solve these problems. Because I can.

Enjoy your day, and keep looking "UP".

Robert R. "Ron" Solomon