Building Envelope - Roofing and Waterproofing

Roofing

Maintain roofing, gutters and downpipes as per Bluescope Steel / Colourbond Maintenance Manual for Roofing & Rainwater Goods.

Keep gutters, rainwater heads, leaf shield and downpipes free from clutter and blockages. Do not put solid objects down downpipes.

Regularly inspect joint sealant for signs of weathering or damage. Have joints sealant repairs by an appropriately qualified tradesperson as required to ensure joint remains water resistant.

Note: Roofing joint sealant is susceptible for weathering and UV damage. Regular inspection and replacement as necessary is critical to maintaining a weather tight roof system.

Do not walk on roof or lean hard objects against gutters to prevent damage to the surface coating.

Note: Bluescope Steel recommend a log be kept of inspections and maintenance.

Guidelines for Maintaining Your Roofing and Walling

This page provides some basic information on recommended maintenance of roofing.

1. Access & Safety issues

When maintaining the roof, care should be taken not to damage the surface of the cladding, gutters and flashings.

• Soft protection should be placed on any equipment used to provide access, where it impacts on the roof cladding.
• Some roofs (ie patios and verandahs) are not designed for foot traffic, and these roofs should not be walked on.
• When walking on unprotected roofing, soft soled shoes should be worn, and walking on at least two ribs, as close to supports as possible is recommended. Point heel and toe loads should be avoided.
• Avoid dragging any hard materials across the surface of the cladding, as this may result in scratching.

All relevant OH&S requirements, as well as statuatory and regulatory body requirements should be adhered to when accessing the roof, to ensure a safe working environment.

2. Maintenance Requirements & Frequency

Maintenance should be carried out at least every four months, preferably including the end of autumn and end of spring. In the case of extreme events (storm, tempest or other "Acts of God"), inspection should be carried out and abnormal maintenance carried out as required.

Details on maintenance for the cladding, gutters and flashings are shown in the sections below.

Gutters and Roofing

(includes internal roof box gutters, eave gutters and any other gutter situations, and all cladding not covered by any of the other specific areas of this document)

Twigs, dust, leaves and fungal matter (debris) should be removed using the following recommended procedure, taking care to ensure no damage occurs to the gutter during debris removal.

• Sweep debris into a pile using a stiff, soft bristled brush (shovels or hard tools should not be used).
• Place debris into a receptacle and lower to the ground.
• The whole roof and gutter should then be washed down with a hose, including high ends of gutters possibly protected by overhangs, rain heads, water spouts and overflow locations.
• If significant fungal growths are found they should be identified and removed in accordance with the BlueScope - Technical Bulletins TB-27 "Identification of Fungus in the Field and Recommendations for its Removal".
• Any metallic staining should be investigated to determine whether the cause is from a metallic deposit on the surface, or from the breakdown of the coating. Metallic deposits on the surface should be completely removed immediately. Breakdowns in the coating would generally result from poor maintenance techniques and scratching and can be restored as deemed necessary in accordance with BlueScope - Technical Bulletins TB-2 "Overpainting and Restoration of COLORBOND® steel Sheet" and BlueScope - "Painting Zinc-Coated or ZINCALUME® steel Sheet".
• Stubborn stains and dirt not removed in the hosing can be removed in accordance with BlueScope - Technical Bulletins TB-4, "Maintenance of COLORBOND® steel Roofing". The application of soaps and detergents are detailed in this document.

Downpipes

(includes the whole stormwater pipe disposal system from the gutter to the street water table)

• Downpipes made from BlueScope products should be cleaned using a pressure water hose directed down each of the downpipes.
• The hose should then be fed into the pipe from the inlet down to the outlet, to ensure there are no obstructions. Constrictions in the downpipe system may make it necessary to access the pipe from inspection points downstream of the downpipe inlet location. Any noted blockages should be removed immediately, to avoid water back-up in the gutters.

Penetrations, Flashings & Cappings, Joints, Platforms & Walkways and Unwashed Areas

(includes; all penetrations, flashings and all general ridge, valley, barge and fascia cappings including flashings; all joints that occur in the installed roof cladding; all cladding mounted access walkways, and elevated platforms supported on frames that penetrate the cladding; and all areas of the external cladding that are sheltered from rain washing, eg under eaves, underside of exposed gutters, exterior ceilings, upper sections of walls and doors partially protected by overhangs)

• Build-up of debris or organic matter (debris) should be completely removed, using a stiff bristled soft brush to sweep the debris into a receptacle and remove from the roof. No hard tools should be used.
• The area should then be washed down with a pressure hose. Care should be taken to ensure that debris is not lodged between sheets or the sheeting and flashing and that water from the pressure hose is not driven into the building.
• Stubborn stains and dirt not removed in the hosing can be removed in accordance with BlueScope - Technical Bulletins TB-4, "Maintenance of COLORBOND® steel Roofing". The application of soaps and detergents are detailed in this document.
• All unwashed areas are to be effectively hand washed using a pressure hose.

Fasteners

(applies to all fasteners, including washers, used in the fixing of the cladding material to the supporting structure)

• All deteriorated washers and fasteners are to be removed and replaced. Replacement fasteners and washers are to be placed in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations.

ROOF ACCESS SYSTEM

The roof has a roof access system installed to enable authorised personal to access the roof for maintenance purposes. Owners and Tenants are strictly forbidden to access the roof under any circumstances. If there is any need to access the roof, please contact the building manager to arrange this.

Below is the information on the use of the roof access system for the building manager and owners records.

WATERPROOFING

Waterproof membranes have been applied to the following areas;

• Under bathroom/ ensuite floor tiles
• Behind bathroom/ ensuite shower and shower bath wall tiles (to a height min 150mm above the shower rose)
• Under all balcony tiles
• Inside all planters
• Behind rendered retaining walls
• To stormwater detention tanks

These membranes require no maintenance but care must be taken when working over, cutting/ drilling into or renovating waterproofed surfaces. Breaking a waterproof membrane can cause severe damage to your dwelling, someone else's dwelling or the building structure. Any damage or penetration of the waterproof membranes in these areas must be repaired/ treated by a licensed waterproofing contractor.

Information sheets on the waterproofing membranes installed located below.