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Margaret G. Chewning FCSI CCS
Senior Member
Username: presbspec

Post Number: 239
Registered: 01-2003
Posted on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 - 04:56 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

One of my clients is working on a private project for himself and has asked my advice regarding some material he wants for his cottage. His question is below, can anyone give me a hand to advise him on this?
"I am building a cottage (in the Bahamas) and I have specified Grace Ice and Water Shield within the roof assembly.

My contractor says that Grace is not available, and that Tough Guard is available and is a comparable product.
“Jiffy?” is another product he named as available.

Do you have knowledge of these products and an opinion about them?"

Thanks Ya'll, See you in Nashville.
Richard L Matteo, AIA, CSI, CCS
Senior Member
Username: rlmat

Post Number: 612
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 - 06:48 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

Jiffy Seal is manufactured by the Protecto Wrap Company. I’ve had some experience with them in CA, Nothing negative as long as you specify the proper product.

Tough-Guard is manufactured by BlueLinx. I don’t have any experience with their products, but it does look similar to the Grace product.

Unfortunately I won't be in Nashville.
Dave Metzger
Senior Member
Username: davemetzger

Post Number: 473
Registered: 07-2001
Posted on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 - 08:27 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

For self-adhered underlayments for use under metal roofing, we typically specify a butyl-based product such as Grace Ultra or Protecto Jiffy Seal Ice & Water Guard HT, rather than asphalt-based, because of its resistance to the high temperatures under metal roofing.

With the temperatures in the Caribbean area, I'd lean toward the butyl-based product regardless of the roofing material your client will be using.
J. Peter Jordan
Senior Member
Username: jpjordan

Post Number: 617
Registered: 05-2004
Posted on Thursday, September 19, 2013 - 07:38 am:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

I second Dave's suggestion regarding "high temperature" products. The solar radiation is greater at these latitudes and can significantly increase the temperature of the roofing material. Like Richard and Dave, I am familiar with the Jiffy Seal product, but not the other. Although I don't have the information in front of me, I believe MasterSpec lists 6 or 7 different products that meet the HT specification. I would not be surprised at all if only 2 or 3 of these products were available in this location.
ken hercenberg
Senior Member
Username: khercenberg

Post Number: 601
Registered: 12-2006


Posted on Thursday, September 19, 2013 - 09:14 am:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

I concur with the butyl-based testimony. Be careful as there are some supposed 'high-temperature' asphalt-based products that don't compare with the butyl-based products.
Richard L Matteo, AIA, CSI, CCS
Senior Member
Username: rlmat

Post Number: 613
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Thursday, September 19, 2013 - 11:35 am:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

It has also been recommended to me to use a red rosin slip sheet between the membrane and the metal roofing to prevent the membrane from sticking to the metal.
J. Peter Jordan
Senior Member
Username: jpjordan

Post Number: 618
Registered: 05-2004
Posted on Thursday, September 19, 2013 - 12:14 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

Berridge has been actively discouraging this practice for several years. They believe that the slip sheet holds water and promotes metal deterioration. If the roof is metal, you probably will be using a clip system that holds the roof just above the surface of the substrate so having the metal sticking to the substrate should not be an issue. I would look into "local practice."
ken hercenberg
Senior Member
Username: khercenberg

Post Number: 602
Registered: 12-2006


Posted on Thursday, September 19, 2013 - 12:44 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

Agreed, though Berridge has some great options that not everyone offers. Still, if a separator is needed you may want to consider other alternatives. You also may need to consider the relationship between location of insulation and location of vapor retarder. If you need to place insulation between underside of roof and top of membrane, two important considerations are clip design and drainage of moisture from face of membrane.
Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP
Senior Member
Username: lazarcitec

Post Number: 992
Registered: 05-2003
Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 09:02 am:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

Remember many Caribbean countries required roof assemblies to have current Miami- Dade County NOA's (Notice of Acceptance) to meet or exceed the high velocity wind loads. Jiffy Seal does not. You can research this yourself by going to the Miami Dade County Product Approval website:
http://www.miamidade.gov/building/pc-search_app.asp
I have written specifications for many projects in the Caribbean, but oddly not in the Bahamas. So this is all the info I can offer at the moment.
Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP
Senior Member
Username: lazarcitec

Post Number: 993
Registered: 05-2003
Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 09:07 am:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

These are the NOA's for Grace products:
http://www.miamidade.gov/building/pc-result_app.asp?fldNOA=&Classification=1%2CHigh+velocity+hurricane+zone%2C1&AdvancedSearch=Go&applicantlist=100211&categorylist=0&subcategorylist=0&materiallist=0&impactlist=0&fldMDPP=0.00&fldMDPN=0.00

I doubt very much Grace's Ice and Water Shield is not available, sounds like the contractor is scamming your client. Perhaps his mark-up on Ice and Water Shield is not as high as he wants.
J. Peter Jordan
Senior Member
Username: jpjordan

Post Number: 619
Registered: 05-2004
Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 09:47 am:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

Oddly enough (because I often hear the Bahamas described as Caribbean islands, I don't think of them being as such. This doesn't have any bearing on the dicusssion, but I usually think of the Caribbean Sea being located south of Cuba and Haiti. The Bahamas are definitely north; can anyone explain this to me?

Oh, and I agree with Jerry. The product may not be available to him (he doesn't get a markup or he has run out his credit with the distributor).
Anne Whitacre, FCSI CCS
Senior Member
Username: awhitacre

Post Number: 1378
Registered: 07-2002


Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 04:22 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

Well, Peter -- your choices would be "barrier islands " which is clearly not true, North Atlantic Islands (which is technically true, but sounds weird) but since the Bahamas are sort of adjacent to Florida, Caribbean doesn't seem like much of a stretch. the product reps probably cover all of them. Bermuda, on the other hand....
George A. Everding, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA
Senior Member
Username: geverding

Post Number: 686
Registered: 11-2004


Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 05:11 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

...or "archipelago", a word which defines them but doesn't locate them. Atlantic archipelago off the coast of North America? Cumbersome...

See what happens when you get specifiers thinking about correct terminology.
George A. Everding AIA CSI CCS CCCA
Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies
St. Louis, MO
Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP
Senior Member
Username: lazarcitec

Post Number: 994
Registered: 05-2003
Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 05:48 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

A local waterproofing buddy has advised that The Bahamas will let you do anything you want, so forget what I said, no NOA is required.
Wayne Yancey
Senior Member
Username: wayne_yancey

Post Number: 608
Registered: 01-2008


Posted on Friday, September 20, 2013 - 06:06 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostPrint Post

It is funny and interesting how these discussions veer off from the original question or help request and get sidetracked in blah, blah, blah land.

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