View Full Version : It's been a year since my install @#@#$@ mounted on Flat Roof
chefwong
06-03-09, 08:40 AM
It's been a year since my install. I have a flat roof....and I thought the installers installed in the *side* of the roof which is STONE/BRICK.
Turns out they mounted it right on my flat roof....holes and caulk and all. This is @#$#@@# as this will be prone to leaks. Do I have any recourse on calling DTV to have it mounted properly ont he brick bearing it's been so long or not ?
turey22
06-03-09, 08:46 AM
It's been a year since my install. I have a flat roof....and I thought the installers installed in the *side* of the roof which is STONE/BRICK.
Turns out they mounted it right on my flat roof....holes and caulk and all. This is @#$#@@# as this will be prone to leaks. Do I have any recourse on calling DTV to have it mounted properly ont he brick bearing it's been so long or not ?
You should call DirecTV and ask nicely for a relocate. A relocate will get your dish moved from the roof to the side (if the tech can get LOS on the side). They might charge you 49 dollars for the relocate but try to see if you can get that wavied. Maybe you can or maybe you can't, really depends on if the agent goes with policy or works around that.
If after the move the roof starts to leak, call them to open a damage claim ticket. You will need to take picture, get an estimate, and some other things and mail them in to the damage claim department.
I hope this helps or is accurate information. I know someone else will have another solution if mine doesnt work.
BattleZone
06-03-09, 08:47 AM
Since it's been a year, you'd have to pay to have it moved. And generally the tech will leave the old mast foot where it is, and put a new one up at the new dish location, because the new tech isn't going to take responsibility for the old dish location. Satellite installers don't have anything more then RTV silicone to seal holes, and that's probably not the best solution for your roof.
I might suggest finding a good local installer at this point and having them do it, as well as properly resealing the holes on the roof.
Yes, you will have to pay a bit out of pocket, but at least it will be done right hopefully and can prevent major headaches in the future.
CCarncross
06-03-09, 10:36 AM
If its been a year already and you don't have any leaks, chances are quite good it was installed properly and any leaks you develop on your flat roof would not have anything to do with the dish mount. A mount into stone/brick is not a standard install and the tech would need to use special bits and maybe a more power drill to boot and there would/should have been an additional charge at install time if you wanted it done that way. Am I missing something or did it really take you a year to figure out it was mounted on the flat roof?
Mertzen
06-03-09, 11:32 AM
If after the move the roof starts to leak, call them to open a damage claim ticket. You will need to take picture, get an estimate, and some other things and mail them in to the damage claim department.
After one year any damage claim expert is going to deny any claim.
A mount into stone/brick is not a standard install and the tech would need to use special bits and maybe a more power drill to boot and there would/should have been an additional charge at install time if you wanted it done that way.
It's not standard. Dang, that a few hundred installs I could have charged for custom work. DANG.:lol:
murry27409
06-03-09, 11:52 AM
A mount into stone/brick is not a standard install and the tech would need to use special bits and maybe a more power drill to boot and there would/should have been an additional charge at install time if you wanted it done that way.
I experienced an issue with a cinder block install. The dish was secured to the wall with plastic anchors. A few weeks later I noticed that it was beginning to pull away from the wall. Emergency repair!! I replaced all of the plastic anchors with tapcom screws. No issues since then (~9/07).
Mertzen
06-03-09, 11:57 AM
I experienced an issue with a cinder block install. The dish was secured to the wall with plastic anchors. A few weeks later I noticed that it was beginning to pull away from the wall. Emergency repair!! I replaced all of the plastic anchors with tapcom screws. No issues since then (~9/07).
Yeah, any tech using plastic anchors is an idiot.
Tapcon is actually not D* approved either, but then so aren't redheads and 90% of techs use those.
I use 1 1/2 redheads [ no guys 1" ones won't do the job ] or 1/2 lag shields with 2" lag bolts.
http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:_a3ftNOrJIXUNM:http://www.nuttybolts.com/catalog/images/AWH-Wedge%2520Anc%2520Hammer%2520Drive.jpg
http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:v0_TIBXMvCTEhM:https://www.mclendons.com/img/diy/119-LagShield.jpg
chefwong
06-03-09, 11:59 AM
I see PLENTY of masts installed into the brickwork out here in NYC.
And I don't crawl onto of the roof unless I need to...which just so happened today.
Logic would dicatate --- flat roof, water pitch runoff , if not snow that sits on a flat roof, etc, you're doing a customer a disservice to install on a flat roof. . In my case, we now have a rubber EPDM flat roof that now has a WEAK POINT - screw holes in the 3 post legs.
A hole is a hole.....I would have easily taken a hammer drill and done it correctly instead of PUNCTURING the roof....
firefighter4evr
06-03-09, 04:51 PM
Yeah, any tech using plastic anchors is an idiot
What about the tech who proudly secures the dish with zip ties to cast iron railing on the front porch?? :lol:
like the old saying goes, if you want it done right you have to do it yourself!!
Mertzen
06-03-09, 06:09 PM
What about the tech who proudly secures the dish with zip ties to cast iron railing on the front porch?? :lol:
We all know that ground wire works way better for that.
adrock13
06-04-09, 12:31 AM
why don't you request a non penetrating flat roof mount and put cinder blocks on it??? no holes no anchors no problem....just a little extra money.
turey22
06-04-09, 12:49 AM
why don't you request a non penetrating flat roof mount and put cinder blocks on it??? no holes no anchors no problem....just a little extra money.
That's a good idea...I think its like 65 dollars.
Mertzen
06-04-09, 07:00 AM
That's a good idea...I think its like 65 dollars.
And 20 calls, 3 reschedules and a bunch of frustration :D
chefwong
06-04-09, 11:04 AM
I would have if I need they were not ~compentent~ enough to realize that that penetration would not be a good idea for the roof. When I spoke to them while they were installing, if which I was not their *shadow*, we had discussed and confirmed it would be installed adjacent to where my previous older DirectTV sat dish was installed....which WAS installed on the brick.
I'm currently determining the best course of option. Tar is not the best application even when I remove the lags as Tar cracks over time.
adrock13
06-04-09, 11:59 AM
yeah tech shouldv'e realized as soon as he/she pulled up to the house that a roof mount was not an option. that was the first thing i would think about when arriving at a customer's home - house type, material i.e. brick, stucco, etc., and what type of roof i.e. shake, steel, etc.
dodge boy
06-04-09, 12:04 PM
yeah tech shouldv'e realized as soon as he/she pulled up to the house that a roof mount was not an option. that was the first thing i would think about when arriving at a customer's home - house type, material i.e. brick, stucco, etc., and what type of roof i.e. shake, steel, etc.
Could have used a non penetrating roof mount, looks kinda like a sled and you use masonary blocks for balas, not standard is an extra cost, but the installer should have told you that up front when they saw your roof....
hobie346
06-04-09, 12:10 PM
Yeah, any tech using plastic anchors is an idiot.
Tapcon is actually not D* approved either, but then so aren't redheads and 90% of techs use those.
I use 1 1/2 redheads [ no guys 1" ones won't do the job ] or 1/2 lag shields with 2" lag bolts.
http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:_a3ftNOrJIXUNM:http://www.nuttybolts.com/catalog/images/AWH-Wedge%2520Anc%2520Hammer%2520Drive.jpg
http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:v0_TIBXMvCTEhM:https://www.mclendons.com/img/diy/119-LagShield.jpg
What about the tech that trys to mount a multi-switch to a stuco wall using the nail of a single cable clamp? Granted the switch is not going far but hanging half loose in the breeze is not what I would call a quality job. Then I find that the ground lead from the dish to the switch is connected but the down lead to the grounding rod is not even connected but hanging loose.
chefwong
06-04-09, 12:11 PM
We had discusse mouting. I already had a older DirectTV sat/on the roof on the brickside of the *roof*. I assumed that he had installed just as we had discussed which was to mount on the same brickside ---- just adjacent to the old one.
What's done is done----but am I peeved that there are penetrations on the roof. There is a specific procedure on how to repair holes in a EPDM roof.
taz291819
06-05-09, 10:44 AM
What's done is done, but yeah, I'd be a little pissed-off myself.
I've done a few roof installs myself (for myself, I'm not an installer), and never had any leaks. You just have to make sure to use a ton of silicone sealant. If I were you, I'd go up on your roof and apply some more sealant, even over and around the current sealant.
The way I've always done it is:
1. Outline the entire base of the mount. Pre-drill holes.
2. Cover entire outlined area and holes with sealant.
3. Mount the base.
4. Cover entire base with sealant, and a good 1" around the perimeter.
While I go through a couple of tubes of sealant, I've never had a leak. For the record, I've never done it on a flat-roof though.
We had discusse mouting. I already had a older DirectTV sat/on the roof on the brickside of the *roof*. I assumed that he had installed just as we had discussed which was to mount on the same brickside ---- just adjacent to the old one.
What's done is done----but am I peeved that there are penetrations on the roof. There is a specific procedure on how to repair holes in a EPDM roof.
There is and silicone is NOT it.
I don't know your location but, If you go to one of the big box home centers go to the roofing area and find out if they carry EPDM (rubber) roofing. If they do, they may have an EPDM repair kit. Use it. It most likely has a roll of peel and stick 4 or 6" tape, primer, and lap sealant.
Clean (scrub a little) the roof surface with 409, Fantastic etc. Wait till it's dry, paint on the primer and wait for it to become tacky. (like contact cement). On a sunny warm day it takes less than 5 minutes. Cut a patch from the tape to cover at least 3" around the hole. Peel the release backing off and put the patch down flat. Use a roller of some sort to make sure it's flat and bonded. Then use the lap sealant (caulk) around the seam of the patch.
That's it. Like patching a bicycle inner tube.
I know Menard's carries EPDM supplies. I don't buy mine there but i have seen them there.
DO NOT use (asphalt based) Roof Cement, other than being petroleum based the two products are not compatible. The roof cement will degrade the EPDM and you will have a bigger problem than you have now.
DO NOT use silicone despite what many others say. Silicone will not bond to the EPDM or Asphalt shingles It will "stick" to it but it will only sit on top of the EPDM and not bond. After a period of time silicone sealants degrade from UV exposure and it loses it's elasticity and any sealing properties it may have had.
Take my advice for what it's worth. I've been in commercial low slope (flat) roofing for over 20 years.
avmaster
06-15-09, 12:33 PM
No tech is going to be willing to move your dish for you. I wouldn't. If your roof leaks the liability would automatically fall on whoever was there last.
You can remove it and repair it yourself and have them re-mount the dish properly if you like, but a DTV installer is not a roof repair expert.
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