RCAW Trade Show 2018 Breakout Seminars

The 3rd Annual RCAW Trade Show

The 3rd and best trade show put on by the Roofing Contractors Association of Washington (RCAW) was held on Friday February 16th at the Tukwila’s Double Tree Hotel. Roofing and industry professionals gathered to learn about new products and services, new networking opportunities, and education. Check out the blog that we wrote about this event!

Breakout Seminars at the RCAW

Eight breakout seminars were held on safety and roofing related concerns.  Each of the seminar instructors portrayed a depth of knowledge of their respective subjects.  While their presentation styles differed, each discussed the material conceptually as well as demonstrated their function in the real world.  We attended four of the eight seminars and found them each informative.

Fall Protection Safety

The first seminar was presented by Signature Safety’s Darin Parker.  He emphasized preparation and organized the subject around the ABCD principles (anchor, body harness, connections, and descent).  Protection from the dangers of a fall is addressed before the fall occurs, and Parker walked us through each of the important factors to address before ascent.  Props of the relevant equipment provided a clear picture of quality assessment of gear and how to identify the differences between gear that would protect the roofer in a fall versus gear that would fail.

Condensation in Roof Safety

By contrast, instructor Aaron Nelson covered a more abstract subject.  He modeled the water cycle and addressed the considerations the roofing contractor can make to avoid condensation damage.  He emphasized three concepts: (1) warm air holds more water than cold, (2) warm air wants to move to cold air, and (3) water vapor needs a surface to condense.  Understanding these concepts provides the base that the roofing contractor needs in order to address any condensation challenges.  Nelson’s use of examples in the field painted compelling illustrations of the concepts in action.  After laying the conceptual groundwork, he put the concepts into more concrete terms: a reliable rule of thumb to avoid condensation problems is to have the dew point (the place in the air where water turns to a visible liquid) in the insulation and a vapor retarder beneath it.

Steep Slope: The Most Common Mistakes in Residential Roofing

GAF CARE trainer, Jon Henson, organized the subject into a list of the top ten most common infractions, two examples of which are improper starter installation and improper shingle nailing.  Within each of the ten most common mistakes, he discussed the various ways the mistakes manifest.  For example, shingles can be nailed improperly via underdriving, overdriving, angling, or high nailing.  Hensen broke these down further into how improper nail driving occurs and the damage it causes.  He discussed each of the ten most common mistakes with similar detail.

Low Slope: TPO Maintenance and Repair

Given that preventative maintenance extends the life of the roof, Henson presented this subject through the lens of how both homeowners and roofing contractors can benefit by implementing proper maintenance.  He discussed in detail many of the causes of the need for maintenance and repair as well as the steps to conduct them.  Some examples are straightforward, like checking for and cleaning out debris clogging a drain.  Others are subtle, like how a dropped toolbox can penetrate membrane and go easily unnoticed.  Some maintenance and repair can be implemented by the homeowner, but a preferable option may be for the roofing contractor to conduct regular maintenance and needed repair.

Conclusion

The breakout seminars at the RCAW that we attended covered the important roofing topics of fall prevention, condensation damage, improper installation, and proper maintenance and repair.  The seminars were enjoyable and instructive, providing both abstract analyses and real-world function of many concerns important to roofing contractors and homeowners. What material do you think should be covered in the breakout seminars of the next RCAW trade show?

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