Four Seasons Industries, Inc. - Ask An Expert

The Vinyl Siding Institute has released "The Weather Barrier Statement"

2006-06-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

The Weather Barrier Statement

Read the statement at:

The Plastic Man is Worse Than the TinMan

The statement addresse what many have known for years. Vinyl Siding Leaks and the major manufacturers are not covering leaks in their warranties. This statement is a disclosure to everyone that the Vinyl Siding nailed up on the outside of millions of homes is just a "Supplemental Rain Screen."

This statement goes on to state that underlayment must be used to protect the home from
the weather. Essentially, the only real protection from water infiltration is the underlayment (tar paper, tyvek, etc.).

FIBER CEMENT SIDING 2005 Certainteed Award of Excellence Winner

2005-06-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

Four Seasons Industries, Inc. is very proud to accept the 2005 Certainteed Award of Excellence for the Inovative Use of Fiber Cement Siding. The job located in Hillsborough, New Jersey can be viewed on our website at:

http://www.fourseasonsroofingandsiding.com/Sidinghistory.htm

Four Seasons Ind.,
Inc. Certainteed
2005 Award of Excellence Winner!

The company also installs Siding from James Hardie; Hardiplank, Hardishingle, etc. and is able to offer a fifty year warranty on the product, and 25 year on the highest grade masonry coating. Please visit our James Hardie page:

Window Replacement Had To Be Done Over - Bad Installation - Costly Experience

2005-06-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

Windows from the big box stores or the big retailers are not always the best deal no matter what the payment plan the fancy talking sales guy touts in front of you. We recently replaced an entire window job done a little over a year before by one of the biggest names in replacement windows. The new windows were drafty, and massive condensation was occurring on the inside of the windows with frost in the winter.

After the complete removal and disposal of the new windows, we were able to completely diagnose the problem. Elaborate brake work was done to create external stops and the capping retuned into the interior of the home, just behind a bead of caulk. These were metal rips, and no buck frames were installed, hence the fancy brake work. A fundamental lack of understanding of the concept of a “Thermal Break” was blatantly missing from the training of the crew.

Long story made short: It is sad that the homeowner had a one year warranty and after several return trips to caulk and attempts to band-aid fix the problem, they called Four Seasons and paid again for the job to be done properly.

Roofing With Torches - Bad Idea

2005-06-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

May 11, 2005 9:00 am US/Eastern
CONSHOHOCKEN, PA (AP) The pastor of a suburban Philadelphia church destroyed by fire says the congregation has received many offers of a temporary place to worship.

Reverend Bradley Lacey, the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Conshohocken, says the offers have come from nearby churches, civic groups—and even area companies.

The 134-year-old Baptist church went up in flames Tuesday, despite the efforts of about 150 firefighters from ten companies.

Authorities say the fire was reported at 8:45 a-m, and the first units reported the building fully engulfed by the time they arrived. The flames left only the stone walls standing and a few charred roof timbers.

The blaze was brought under control in about 90 minutes. No injuries were reported.

Investigators were trying to confirm reports that the fire may have been started accidentally by roofers working on the building.

Just
a sampling of the devastation caused by APP Torch Application...

When Siding Leaks

2005-06-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

When Siding Installations Leak……
When a new siding installation is installed into standard ‘J’ channeling, rain water is collected in the ‘J’ channel and some of that water is directed right under the siding and collected beneath it. Several measures have been taken, by the conscientious installers that realize this fact, to remedy the situation and to keep the water from damaging the home.

At a very critical point, however, that of the roof flashing watershed, there is a misunderstood philosophy that is being followed every day. Vinyl Siding is being installed today, even on new homes, and at the critical roof junctures, where water rolls in high concentrations, no provision is made for runoff. Many installers will caulk these areas, creating fissures that spew water in all directions under the wall. Very, very few installations are done properly with a true and valid watershed, where the water is allowed to flow outward and over the siding. Look at the photograph below. This problem is actually the norm, believe it or not. The amount of damage will vary from job to job, but we always look for these problems in our initial job surveys.

It is a shame that the times of the astute and caring career old world craftsmen that were aware of such issues has faded. What we have today is a majority of siding installers that remain in the trade only a few years, never to really learn and to grow as seasoned journeymen and to mature in the trade and to pass it along to the next generation.

We have the seasoned craftsmen that mentor our journeymen to maturity in thier trade.
When Siding
Leaks...

Mixing of Metals Bad Idea

2005-06-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

We are seeing the mixture of metal flashings with no regard for basic physics 101. The very first lesson is that of Aluminum and Copper and the wet medium that transfers electric current. Please vist out website for more information.
More...

Copper Flashings On Cedar Roofing

2005-06-19T18:05:00.000-07:00

Real Bad Idea, but it is done frequently:
Copper cannot survive with the acids that degrade the metal. Visit our website for more information.

SLATE ROOFING Repair or Replace

2005-06-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

Slate Roof Repair & Replacement
The environment of the rooftop is as harsh as that of any place on earth. The temperatures can vary 100 degrees in a single day and the seasonal swings can double that number in some climates.

More threatening to these natural rooftops than the regular assault of the elements is the band of sloppy servicemen that are the transients that frequent the roofing profession. Haphazard slate roof repairs are rampant in this day and age of fast food, the fast buck, and the fly by night roofer. A can of flashing cement and a trowel is all the unscrupulous contractor needs to generate almost immediate income. With little or no expertise and a ladder, these guys are making slate roof nightmares every day.

A guy with a ladder and a can of muck can slather over a perfectly good and repairable roof making a nightmare for the consumer. The poor consumer is left holding the bag again.

Aluminum roof coating is not a fix for a leaking valley, or for any other leaking roof, for that matter. Old terne coated ferrous roof metal that is prone to oxidation will only rust away under the porous fissures that quickly develop and hold moisture when such coatings dry.

6000 Hits A Day and Growing

2005-06-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

Our website is now at an average 6000 hits a day and has held this pace for over 4 months! This is quite exciting as our SEO man is in house. Maybe we should open an office for Search Engine Placement........Nope don't think the boss would go for that. There is justice on the web, even though it seems like the wild wild west at times. As soon as your ranking goes to your head, you are headed for trouble. Look at Joe Jenkins. He is the author of the "Slate Bible." He enjoyed mega-hits and a top ranking. As soon as he started charging for links and membership, his site began to fall. I guess we will just stick to what we know and be happy we are getting attention.

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2005-06-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

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Steep Slope Installation of Architectural Shingles Can Be A Bad Deal

2005-06-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

Laminated Shingles on Steep SlopesThe dual-laminated shingles must be mechanically fastened through the lap of both layers. This is accentuated on very high sloped roofs that also should be double nailed. The lap that must be penetrated is only 5/8” in width. This area does not give an adequate holding strength on roofs of 12 to 13” rise per foot and above. This is where the line should begin to be drawn for the consideration of other products.

Higher slopes are no place for architectural laminate shingles. As you can see in the photographs, delaminating can occur when the full weight of the lower laminated double layer is suspended on the mechanical fasteners. Mansards and steep sloped roofs should always be storm nailed (double nailed).

The argument has been made for installer error in these situations, but in defense of many installers, this shingle design affords only a 5/8” overlap through which a roofing nail is to be fastened. The laminate bond alone will not hold the two piece shingle together. Even double nailing is often not enough to hold these shingles on steep slopes. The bottom line……..Don’t use architectural laminates on steep slopes.

The
most informative website dealing with roofing siding, etc. with over 6000 average
hits a day.

Over the Top Overlay with Fiberglass Shingles

2005-06-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

Overlays with Fiberglass Shingles
Over the top installations were affected drastically as installers had to improperly nail (or “nail high”) the product in order to recover roofs without the old roof courses showing (or “telegraphing”) through for a lumpy roof. “High nailing” commonly caused blow-offs on over-the-top installations. The increased heat retention of the overlays gave the fiberglass based products their true field tests. High heat seemed to degrade the fiberglass shingles much faster than their organic, heavier, two step asphalt predecessors. The reasons were two fold. The mat was more brittle and it was common to see roofs crack laterally, as never seen before. The adherent – only, more brittle, thinner shingle was not as malleable, and therefore more susceptible to thermal shock. The process of reformulating the products continued. The asphalt mixes were improved and stricter quality control standards were put into place.
We do not advocate reroof overlays - They do not last - Flashings are ignored - They leak

JUST SAY NO...DO NOT DO IT!

Laminated Architectural Roofing Shingles

2005-06-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

Laminated Shingles
Laminated Shingles like the GAF Timberline, Certainteed Landmark, and others are a fantastic value. Improvements on these products are ongoing, and they are better now, than they have ever been. The original ship-lap design provided a product that was very uniform and when a roof was properly installed, the completed roof looked uniform and the butt joints were virtually invisible. A design was present that provided a double layer over the nails and the shingles had to be installed in a set stagger system.
Again, product “improvements” were made to the original design. The fiberglass mat, asphalt, and seal downs were upgraded. A company named ELK started to produce a much more inexpensive laminated roofing shingle that moved marginally through the northeast market, and seemingly, at the time in the early 1980’s, made no real significant impact on the industry. The manufacturing process used by ELK was several times faster than the major manufacturers. The price for the ELK products was significantly less than that of the major manufacturers. The big manufacturers, within a decade, had changed over to a similar “In Line Laminate Process,” originally used by ELK. This process replaced the original hand laminate process and the original ship-lap laminated shingle design disappeared form the roofing marketplace. With it, the uniform look of the laminated roof also was lost. The impact on the laminated roof shingle design is that the butt joints are random and steeper roofs will show the butt joints. This concern leads some people away from the laminated shingles on some jobs. The up side is that the improvements have afforded the manufacturers the ability to rate the warranted life expectancy to double that of the original products on the higher end laminates. These products have become a real value in the asphalt shingle industry. We do caution their use on some high profile roofs, however.

Attic Moisture and Condensation

2005-06-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

The trends of the modern energy conservation in residential construction, especially older homes, have presented the roofing industry with challenges. Homes are commonly retrofitted with new windows and insulation and sidings with house wrap-style vapor barriers. All of these measures are valid; however, the key element of moisture condensation is the most misunderstood concept among home renovators.

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