APPENDIX D - New WestminsterGeotechnical Metallurgy and Corrosion Environmental Analytical Chemistry Physical Testing Richmond Victoria Nanaimo Courtenay Surrey Abbotsford Prince Rupert

NWRFP-11-04 CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF NEW WESTMINSTER

APPENDIX D

Specific Problem Inspection – Leaks Queensborough Community Centre

Levelton Consultants Ltd. 150-12791 Clarke Place Richmond, B.C. Canada V6V 2H9 Tel: 604 278-1411

Fax: 604 278-1042

E-Mail: [email protected]

Web Site: www.levelton.com Construction Materials

Building Science

Geotechnical

Metallurgy and Corrosion

Environmental

Analytical Chemistry

Physical Testing

Richmond Victoria Nanaimo Courtenay Surrey Abbotsford Prince Rupert Calgary

Levelton Consultants Ltd. 150-12791 Clarke Place Richmond, B.C. Canada V6V 2H9 Tel: 604 278-1411

Fax: 604 278-1042

E-Mail: [email protected]

Web Site: www.levelton.com Construction Materials

Building Science

Geotechnical

Metallurgy and Corrosion

Environmental

Analytical Chemistry

Physical Testing

November 15, 2006 File: 906-0779-01 City of New Westminster 511 Royal Avenue New Westminster, BC V3L 1H9 Attention: Mr. Wayne Werbovetski, Building Management Coordinator

PROJECT: Queensborough Community Centre 920 Ewen Ave New Westminster, B.C.

SUBJECT: Specific Problem Investigation – Leaks

Dear Mr. Wayne Werbovetski,

Levelton Consultants Ltd. (“Levelton”) has investigated the leaks at the above-mentioned address. The field evaluation was performed by Gordon Guo, EIT and Pierre-Michel Busque, P.Eng. on November 7, 2006.

SCOPE OF SERVICES:

Levelton’s scope of services is outlined in our Proposal P06-158 and is repeated here for reference:

1. To investigate the cause of the roof leak noted in the ceiling of the Gym.

2. To investigate the cause of the roof leak on the North Side of the mechanical room at the opaque t-bar skylights.

3. To investigate the cause of the leaks observed in the exercise room. The condition of the structural members supporting the cedar shingled roofs will be reviewed while this leak is assessed.

4. Optional: To review the exterior walls of the building. Open the walls to review the condition of the sheathing and studs where the presence of water ingress is suspected. This option was not accepted.

5. Write a concise report outlining the findings of our assessment. The Report will contain our opinion of the probable cost of implementing the recommendations contained in our report.

City of New Westminster November 15, 2006 Attention: Wayne Werbovetski/ Page 2 File: 906-0779-01 ____________________________________________________________________

FINDINGS:

Item 1 – Leaks on the Ceiling of the Gymnasium

This leak is located at the South-West end of the gymnasium on the cedar paneled portion of the wall. We were informed by the Building Maintenance Coordinator, Monty Peters, that this leak has been inactive since the summer. As seen in Photograph 1, water stains are visible at the bottom edge of the paneling as well as around one of the ventilation duct openings.

Photograph 1

Photograph 2

Through the mechanical room, access was gained into the confined space behind the cedar paneling (Photograph 2). Water stains were found on the top of the ventilation duct. Directly above these stains is the underside of a roof drain that also shows staining (Photograph 3). Due to the foam sealant around the drain, we were not able to determine whether the leak is caused by the tie-in between the roofing membrane and the drain or the drain plumbing itself. However, this drain appears to be the source of the leak, which drips onto the trunk ventilation duct, then down along the feeder duct to the opening at the cedar paneled wall. Photograph 4 shows the drain from the roof.

Photograph 3

Photograph 4


To repair this leak, we recommend that the roof drain be removed, inspected for plumbing leaks, reinstalled, and properly tied-in to the roof membrane with a patch. An order of magnitude estimate for this repair is $1000

It is also noteworthy that the 2-ply SBS membranes roof above the gymnasium has large “blisters” in many areas and there are a total of about 50 patches on this roof. We were advised by Mr. Peters that the roof is about 15 years old. A full roof evaluation is not apart of the scope of this investigation but it is recommend that such an evaluation is undertaken to determine whether the roof has reached the end of its service life.

Item 2 – Leaks at the T-bar Skylights into the Mechanical Room

This leak is located at the north side of the mechanical room beneath the lower portion aluminum panel roof, which is adjacent to the opaque skylight. Mr. Peter advised us that the leak has been inactive since a tarp has been placed on this portion of the roof.

The aluminum roof is a insulated sheet aluminum “sandwich” panel mounted on extruded aluminum T-bar rafters (Photograph 5). The panels are held onto the T-bar via sheet metal roll-beads. Skylights with T-bar rafters are intrinsically very susceptible to leaks and this aluminum panel configuration is even worse. The only way that the aluminum panels are secured and sealed to the T-bar is with the thin metal roll beads (no other gaskets or sealants are present); both the panels and roll-beads show signs of bowing (Photograph 6), thus allowing water to penetrate inside and onto the T-bar.

Photograph 5

Photograph 6

In a T-bar configuration, penetrated water is supposed to follow the slope of the T-bar and drain away at the end of the rafter. However, as seen in Photograph 7, the end of the T-bars have been heavily caulked during a previous spot repair. The caulking prevents the T-bar from draining and the trapped water pools and leaks into the wall. We observed that the interface between the top of the wall and the aluminum T-bar roof has not been waterproofed with a membrane and that the flashing installed on a previous repair does not tie-in underneath the T-bar (Photograph 8).

ß T-Bar <- Roll-beads ->


Photograph 7

Photograph 8

To repair this leak, we recommend that the entire aluminum panel T-bar roof be removed and a standing-seam steel roof installed and properly tied-in to the adjacent opaque skylight. An order of magnitude estimate for the installation of a new standing-seam steel roof is $13,500 based on a roof area of 180 s.f. and a unit cost of $75/s.f. for the repair.

The tarp should be left in place on this aluminum panel roof portion until the repair can be performed. If aesthetics is a concern, caulking all the roll bead seams between the T-bar and the aluminum panel is a possible short-term solution that may be effective for up to 6 months. It should be emphasized that caulking only facilitates the removal of the tarp until a permanent repair can be made. In no way whatsoever should caulking be considered a permanent solution to this leak.

It is noteworthy that an identical aluminum panel roof is present at the South-West side of the mechanical room adjacent to the other end of the skylight. No leaks were reported from this roof and we did not observe caulking at the end of the T-bar rafters. However, budget permitting, the client should consider replacing this aluminum roof with a standing-seam steel roof at a cost similar to replacement for the leaking North-East roof.

Finally, the skylight adjacent to the aluminum panel roof is entirely a face-sealed system and relies entirely on a butyl rubber seal between the opaque panels and the metal frame. No repair to the skylight is necessary at this time since no leaks have been reported. However, budget permitting, replacement with an insulated-glazing skylight system would provide much better performance in terms of water penetration resistance as well as thermal insulation.


Item 3 – Structural Members Supporting the Cedar Shingles

As seen in Photograph 9, a depression can be seen in the cedar shingled roof near the exercise room. Mr. Peters advised that a leak in the cedar roof in this area had been previously repaired. A small video camera with integrated lighting was used to inspect the rafter space below this portion of the cedar roof. This goal was to visually determine whether the rafters and sheathing have suffered significant water damage from the abovementioned leak.

The camera was inserted into the rafter space via two small openings at the soffit vents (Photograph 10). Two videos about 3 minutes each was captured and will be sent via CD-ROM with this report.

Photograph 9

Photograph 10

Both videos show that the sheathing as well as the rafters are in good condition. The metal rafter brackets show no signs of corrosion or efflorescence. Overall, the previous leak of the cedar roof at this location does not seem to have caused significant water damage and deterioration to the sheathing and rafters. However, we observed that the cedar shingle roof is likely original to the building’s 1978 construction and is showing significant signs of aging. If it is verified that the cedar shingled roofs are indeed original to the building, they are at the end of its service life and should be replaced.

Camera


New Leaks Reported as of November 7, 2006

When Levelton arrived onsite on November 7, Mr. Peters advised that five new leak have recently been reported. After investigating the three original leaks, leftover time allowed us to investigate two of the new leaks. An additional two-hour site visit was made by Levelton on November 9 and remaining three new leaks were investigated. Our findings follow:

New Leak 1 – The Sheet Metal of the Hot Water Tank Exhaust Stack

This leak was reported as active during the most recent rain. Extensive water stains are present on the exhaust duct itself, but not on the surrounding ceiling. From the roof, we found that a sheet-metal seam has opened in several places (Photograph 11). A temporary spot repair was made using foil-faced peel-and-stick membrane (Photograph 12). We recommend that this exhaust vent should be refurbished / replaced by a sheet metal specialist. An order of magnitude estimate for this repair is $2000

Photograph 11

Photograph 12


New Leak 2 – In the Kitchen at the Florescent Light Fixture

This leak was reported as active during the most recent rain. Access was gained to the confined space between the kitchen ceiling and the roof. We observed that one of the exhaust fan stacks had significant water stains (Photograph 13). Just below this duct is the florescent light fixture where the leak was reported. Other than the metal ducting, there does not appear to be signs of water penetration on the surrounding roof. On the roof, this duct corresponds to the mushroom shaped exhaust hood labeled “kitchen fan” (Photograph 14).

Photograph 13

Photograph 14

Inspection of this exhaust hood did not reveal an obvious source of the leak. Small gaps around the screws on the sheet metal were observed (Photograph 15) and a temporary spot repair was made by caulking around these screws (Photograph 16). This leak should be monitored to see whether the caulking had any effect. Nonetheless, we have narrowed down the leak to the exhaust hood and duct itself. Therefore if this leak persists, we recommend that the exhaust hood be repaired by a sheet metal specialist. An order of magnitude estimate for this repair is $2000

Photograph 15

Photograph 16


New Leak 3 – Cedar Panel Ceiling in the Port Royal Room Near Exit to Deck

This leak was reported as active during the most recent rain. The leak is very minor and occurs on the cedar panel ceiling as indicated on Photograph 17. There is no mechanical space above this ceiling and the cedar panels make up the roof structure. This leaks corresponds to a two-ply SBS flat roof area adjacent to the cedar shingle roof over the deck. Photograph 18 shows the roof area corresponding to the leak, which is near the parapet wall. Ponding water still remained in this area about two days after the last rain.

Photograph 17

Photograph 18

The evidence point towards a leak in the two-ply SBS membrane roof in this area. We recommend moving up the planned replacement of the roof to next year.


New Leak 4 – Child Care Centre Where Wall Meets Solarium Window

An active leak that has wet carpeting was reported at the base of the wall where it meets the solarium window (Photograph 19). There is no visible water marks on the wall but the corner of the window frame shows slight damage from water runoff.

Photograph 19

Photograph 20

The top of the solarium window and its interface to the wall is poorly detailed (Photograph 20), This area is a likely source of water penetration, which then flows down where the leak is located. The flashing at the top of the solarium does not tie into the wall but is merely terminated against the wood siding and caulked. Likewise, the rainwater diverter seems to be caulked against the wall. The siding in this area is showing signs of deterioration. We were informed that the skylight over the solarium was recently replaced and the flashing detail was installed at that time. We believe that it may not be possible to repair this problem without assessing the details of the junction of the glazing system to the walls. In addition, cracked caulking was noticed at the base of the window-wall interface (Photograph 21); this area should be re-caulked.

Photograph 21


New Leak 5 – Cedar Paneling at North-East Side of the Gymnasium

A new leak similar to “Item 1” was reported at the North-East end of the gymnasium. Again, we gained access to the confined space behind the cedar paneling. Water stains were found on the wall and ventilation duct above the reported leak (Photograph 22 and 23).

Photograph 22

Photograph 23

The location of these water stains were near the underside of the roof drain but does not seem to originate from the drain itself. At the roof, there are a large number of patches at the parapet wall as seen in Photograph 24. We recommend replacing the roof next summer.

Photograph 24

During the replacement of the flat roofs and cedar shingle roofs in the near future, work on the walls would also be required in that the roof-to-wall tie-in needs to be reconstructed. Therefore, it would be efficient to replace the siding on the building as a part of the same project. The wood siding panels are showing significant signs of deterioration due to age and pose a risk for water penetration.


Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss.

Yours truly,

LEVELTON CONSULTANTS LTD.

Prepared by: Gordon Guo, EIT Reviewed by: Pierre-Michel Busque, P.Eng. Building Science Division Building Science Division \\srvr-rmd-bldsci\buildsci\PROJECT\_2006PROJECTS\0906-0779 City of New Westminster (SPI)\01\9_Final_Report\LE01.doc

APPENDIX D - New WestminsterGeotechnical Metallurgy and Corrosion Environmental Analytical Chemistry Physical Testing Richmond Victoria Nanaimo Courtenay Surrey Abbotsford Prince Rupert

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