Performing commercial inspection is quite a bit different than Residential Home Inspections. Systems are bigger and usually a bit more complex. The clients objective are bit different also and for the most part they have less personal feelings involved.

That being said there are still some basics when it comes to water infiltration of structures. Water does not play nice and will find its way in if given a chance.

So when performing a commercial inspection, especially one with a large amount of glazing and seams inspection of the sealants are crucial. Commercial Sealants and installation is a huge maintenance item and restoration costs can be quite expensive. Cost can be as much as $7 a linear foot. Budging for this is often not thought of for many commercial building owners. National Institute of Building Science-  Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG) for sealants-  http://www.wbdg.org/design/079200.php

Most commercial sealants have a life expectancy of around 20 years. This will vary on many environmental conditions, joint design, joint movement, and how well the installation was performed.

When performing an inspection I will do a nondestructive test that places strain on the sealant to test the adhesive bond. Though termed non-destructive, it may cause minor failure of the bond, an indication poor adhesion. The results of this procedure should be either adhesive failure or no failure.

Performing proper testing of the exterior sealant will become very important as they age. Proper adhesion testing should be performed by a qualified contractor/representative. A field adhesion test is a destructive testing method for verifying the installation quality of the joint seal. This will be performed on a representative sample size, usually to ASTM standards (ASTM C1521-Standard Practice for Evaluating Adhesion of Installed Weatherproofing Sealant Joints).

With these seals being one of the primary components of weatherproofing this will need to be done on an ongoing basis and should be budgeted for as part of the overall building maintenance schedule. Sealant Restoration Guide- Guide

“The learning and knowledge that we have, is, at the most, but little compared with that of which we are ignorant.”

Plato

NCW Home Inspections, LLC  is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Oroville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…  

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