Getting in Touch
The Western Roofing Expo is a Great Resource
by Richard K. Olson, President & Technical Director, Tile Roofing Industry Alliance
(Editor’s Note: Richard K. Olson is president and technical director for the Tile Roofing Industry Alliance. The association represents industry professionals involved in the manufacturing and installation of concrete and clay tile roofs in the United States and Canada, and works with national, state, and local building officials to develop installation techniques, codes, and standards for better roofing systems. Olson can be reached at rolson@tileroofing.org.)
For the roofing professional, time is money and creating priorities is important for our success. Every opportunity to develop relevant resources and connections that enhance our bottom line should be considered. The upcoming Western Roofing Expo is time well spent for finding both resources all in one place.
As the Tile Roofing Industry Alliance (TRIA), we primarily represent the interests of the concrete and clay-roofing tile manufactures. In addition to the manufacturers, we have contractors, distributors, and related products within our membership ranks to help provide resources and connections for the roofing professional to utilize.
Roofing tiles are a major component in a steep slope roofing assembly. The tile depends upon the other components to create the overall long-term life cycle performance when looking at an assembly. The life of the actual tile is the longest of any roofing product in the market today. There are clay tile installations in the United States that are well over a century old and roofing tiles in Europe are significantly older. The demand for tile continues to increase as the long life and increased energy efficiency of tiles continues to be the focus for building owners.
As a roof assembly in steep slope applications, there will be other components that offer a wide range of options, performance, and cost points to consider. The role of the roofing professional is to provide proper selection of materials that meet the building owner’s desire while complying with the local code requirements if the materials are fit for use.
The Western Roofing Expo provides a perfect resource for connecting with various component manufacturers to obtain some of this information. Through discussions, gathering of literature, or establishing an E-resource, you can assemble an updated library to help navigate your next job. Armed with the proper knowledge you can enhance your bottom line and reduce costly callbacks.
Underlayments play an important role in a long-term steep slope assembly performance. Choosing the right product for compliance requires looking at the manufacturers written specifications for any specific restrictions, limitations, or compatibility issues when used with the other components. Today’s market provides a significant number of underlayment product offerings that cover everything from a basic organic felt to a synthetic material. This information is available from the exhibitors at the expo.
Ventilation is another key component to longer roof performance. There has been a significant increase in new products that help improve the overall ventilation allowing greater energy reduction. The ability to help increase the assembly ventilation with upgraded vent products can even further improve a buildings overall performance. In high fire designated areas, there are new ventilation systems that can react to temperature to reduce embers from entering.
Solar is one of the fastest growing segments for the steep slope roof market. You will need to understand both the merits of each panel system you desire, and how you combine with a code compliant mounting system. The challenge to date has been the ability to provide a proper installation for code-required loads and uplift while not breaching the cladding without a proper way to seal. Identifying resources for compliance of both aspects is important. Connecting with the technical support of the manufactures should be a focus at this year’s expo for those with solar questions.
As the TRI Alliance, we continue to work with the solar mount manufacturers to help create more options for integrating with our roofing tiles. Solar is not unique to the United States and in the future, we see new products from Europe looking to enter our markets.
Overall, the list of exhibitors at the Western Roofing Expo is extensive with so many great opportunities to collect and connect for future resources. Make sure you have taken time to walk the floor, as you will find it time well spent. As the TRI alliance we welcome feedback from the roofing community on potential revisions to our manuals, topics of interest for our training and outreach programs and potential technical bulletins. As an association the TRI Alliance continues to grow our membership year on year. For those wishing to become a member or to receive our outreach via email or social media, please feel free to reach out to us.
