 |
|
Job Profiles
Chem Link has been in business for 18 years and we pride ourselves on the strong relationships we've built with our contractors, distributors and sales representatives. To give you some idea of what it's like to partner with Chem Link, we thought we'd let our supporters tell you in their own words.
KPost Company, of Dallas is a big fan of Chem Link.
KPost Company has over 200 employees and extensive expertise in the following areas:
Commercial Roofing
Roof Maintenance
Sheet Metal
Waterproofing
Light Weight Decking
This rapidly growing 100% commercial, full service roofing company was established in 2003 by owner Keith Post and is run by Post, Steve Little, President, CFO/Safety Officer, Jayne Williams and Director of Operations, Kelly Lea. KPost's commitment to Safety, Quality and Value is reflected in numerous awards the company has earned. In February of 2008 the company was featured on the cover of Roofing Contractor Magazine with their current project-the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. KPost is licensed to work in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Louisiana. It maintains membership in numerous professional organizations: MRCA, NRCA, NTRCA (North TX Roofing Contractors Assoc.), TEXO, CFMA, IRMI, NAWIC (National Association of Women in Construction) and National Roofing Partners (NRP), a CO-OP of independent contractors with over $1 billion in annual revenues and 7,000 employees that share best business practices and service regional and National multi-facility clients. KPost is a founding Partner of NRP and Steve Little serves as President of NRP. KPost has used and trusted Chem Link's 1-Part Pourable Sealer, ChemCurb System Penetration Seals and M-1 StructuralAdhesive/Sealant since their inception in November 2003 and say they will be trying BARR liquid waterproofing in the near future.
KPost Company
1841 W. Northwest Hwy, Dallas, TX 75220
Phone: 972-910-8777 KPost Company
Snow Shoes - Direct from your favorite Distributor, arranged by Customer Service, Chem Link. From Bob Zehen, ASAP Inc., "I just want to thank you for your help in getting my needed SnowShoes from your Roofers Mart. They were more than helpful and did a great job for me and I will be picking the units up tomorrow from them. Please thank Bob Kobza (Chem Link Rep in Wisconsin) when you talk to him for his help in this matter. And, thank you all for a great product." Roofers Mart is located at 4710 North 124th Street Wauwatosa, WI 53225
Roofers Mart, Wauwatosa WI
Ice in Hawaii? How about huge blocks of ice, falling from a 50-foot-high roof, threatening to obliterate anything below? Of course, the building in question wasn't sitting on the coast surrounded by palm trees and Hawaiian postcard beaches.
The building belongs to the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory which sits atop Mauna Kea, the highest mountain in Hawaii with an elevation of nearly 14,000 feet above sea level. At that height, the average temperature is 32° F and the low ambient temperature is closer to 10° F. There's plenty of snow and, on a flat metal roof, it doesn't take long for the freeze-thaw cycle to produce serious ice.
"We've had snowstorms accumulating to two feet of snow and drifting to nine feet," said Site Manager, Alan Kusunoki, who is the engineer responsible for the facility. "The ice formation first became a nuisance and then a hazard. Very large chunks had fallen on cars and had damaged an air conditioning unit, so we began to look for a solution to prevent the build-up."
The observatory is a radio telescope unit which utilizes antennas with dish-shaped aluminum reflectors, similar in shape to the huge mirrors used by optical telescopes. The dishes, with a diameter of twenty feet, weigh sixty tons each. They are secured on solid concrete foundations and are repositioned periodically, depending on the current science project. There are twenty-four foundations in all, and a special transporter is used to move the huge dishes to the required positions and also to bring them into the hanger-like structure for maintenance. The maintenance building is 50 ft. by 50 ft. by 50 ft. and features a 30-ft.-high door with a 2500 sq. ft. roof. The roof is virtually flat, composed of sandwich panels with two inches of insulating foam.
"I've lived all over the world including cold climates like Afghanistan, New York and Nebraska," said Kusunoki, an architectural engineer who managed the original construction of the observatory. "So, I knew the power of snow and ice. I made a very thorough search for a product that could alleviate our ice problem, and finally settled on SnowShoes, manufactured by Chem Link in Michigan."
SnowShoes are polycarbonate polymer roof fixtures designed specifically to stop snow slides. The units are 6 inches x 3 ˝ inches x 2 inches and bond directly to metal using DuraSil , an adhesive made by Chem Link and provided in each SnowShoe kit. DuraSil bonds aggressively to all roofing materials, including Kynar® finishes. The positioning of SnowShoes at periodic points along the metal roof is what prevents snow slides.
"I used the Internet to conduct the preliminary search," said Kusunoki. "I liked the SnowShoe design-with a sandwich panel-type metal roof, we didn't want penetrations from a mechanical fastener. We liked the adhesive idea. Then I got in touch with Chem Link and they were very helpful. We started a dialogue; we sent them the roof plans and dimensions, and they gave us the feedback we needed."
One of the deciding factors in choosing SnowShoes was the performance of the adhesive under field conditions. Kusunoki knew that temperatures might drop below 50° F during the curing period. Fortunately, DuraSil effectively cures at temperatures down to 30° F while still delivering excellent adhesion.
SnowShoes were installed on the Maintenance Hanger as well as the adjacent Control Building in September of 2005. Because of the observatory's location above 13,000 feet, it experiences severe weather conditions the year round. The snowstorm that brought nine foot drifts actually took place in August. There are other extremes as well: UV levels are 200 percent greater than at sea level, and roof temperatures reach well above 100° F.
In spite of sunlight, temperature swings and snow and ice accompanied by high winds, SnowShoes have held fast and done their job, Kusunoki reports. "Now the snow either melts and drips down, or else it sublimates into the atmosphere. We no longer have a falling ice problem."
Alan Kusunoki, Site Manager
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Mauna Kea, Hawaii
The conventional approach to laying electrical conduit on a roof is to fasten the pipe to concrete pavers or wood sleepers using brackets and screws. Over time, metal corrodes and screws back out, causing the conduit to come loose.
But a chapel isn't a conventional roof. So when Jim Burns, Maintenance Supervisor at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan, planned a conduit project for Kanley Memorial Chapel, he looked for a better approach. He found it in KnuckleHeads, a mechanical support system produced by Chem Link Advanced Architectural Products, of Schoolcraft, Michigan.
"When conduit is installed the usual way, it's only a matter of time before you go up on the roof and find it flapping in the breeze," said Burns. "We turned to KnuckleHeads because we wanted something that would last."
KnuckleHeads are mechanical supports made from a tough, weatherproof polymer. The heads are designed with channels to accommodate ˝" or 1" diameter pipe and can be easily adjusted from 3 1/8" high to 4 1/8" high to accommodate risers. The 4" base of each unit is bonded to the roof using M-1® Structural Adhesive/Sealant made by Chem Link. M-1 is made with advanced polyether technology and contains no solvents. Pipes mount snugly into the channels, keeping them raised from the roof's surface.
"We have a Carlisle roof, a smooth surface EPDM that stretches from the bell tower to the chapel," Burns explained. "It's about 14 feet wide by 60 feet long, built in slope with tapered insulation."
Burns explained that one worker set up the job, spacing the KnuckleHeads approximately 8 to 10 feet apart. Then an electrician bonded them in place using M-1 and mounted 60 feet of conduit on the KnuckleHeads using galvanized washers. The installation took a single day.
"The job went very smoothly, but the important thing is that we expect it to stay in place for a long time," said Burns. "It's been several months since we finished the job. Since then, we've been through a long, hard winter with a lot of snow and wind, and I recently was up on the roof to check it out. There's been no movement of any kind."
Jim Burns, Maintenance Supervisor
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan
When it comes to roof repairs, Robert Boessen, RRC, a Senior Roof Consultant for Dressler Consulting Engineers, Incorporated (www.dressler.net), a nationally recognized leader in forensic (investigative) engineering services and roof consulting, has pretty much seen it all. He has been a registered roof consultant since 1992 and advised on jobs throughout the United States.
One of his favorite go-to products is the ChemCurb System Penetration Seal from Michigan-based Chem Link Inc. ChemCurbs are designed to replace old-style metal pitch pans with pre-cast components and pourable sealant that do not require flashing or mechanical fasteners.
"I've specified and recommended ChemCurbs on many occasions for all types of roof penetrations," said Boessen. "The kits come with clear instructions, and include everything that's needed. The pre-cast forms install quickly-there's no additional mechanical attachment required."
Boessen points to a 35,000 square foot roof repair/replacement in St. Louis, Missouri, to illustrate. The Borman Building is a three-story, multi-office structure with a BUR finished with gravel. The roof features more than eighty 4" X 4" steel tube equipment screen support penetrations, flashed with mastic. A pattern of active leaks around the supports had developed.
"More than half of them were leaking," said Boessen. "The mastic would get dry and brittle from exposure, and then the vibration of the screens from wind caused gaps in the mastic. The typical repair approach was to apply more mastic and sealants, which in turn led to a new round of leaks. It was like the dog chasing its tail."
Boessen was called in to inspect the job and recommended the use of ChemCurbs for the penetrations. "While there were more than 80 penetrations, the job went very quickly using ChemCurbs. It was estimated that two thirds (2/3) of the installation cost was saved by installing the ChemCurbs in lieu of a standard steel pitch pan."
Each ChemCurb includes two half circle, pre-cast polyester resin forms, which are placed around the penetration. The forms are fixed to the surface using Chem Link's M-1® Structural Adhesive, which delivers a 300+ PSI all-weather bond. The ChemCurb forms a circular, two-inch deep cavity around the penetration, which is then filled with Chem Link's 1-Part , a solvent-free, self -leveling pourable sealant. 1-Part Pourable Sealer skins over rapidly to form a permanent, nonshrinking, flexible waterproof rubber seal around the penetration in under an hour.
"The nice thing about the ChemCurb Kit is that the guy doing the roof repair/replacement has everything in the kit that he needs to do the job. Oftentimes, a tinner/roofer will get up on the roof and need all these tools like drills and pop rivet guns and if they don't have what they need, the whole job is delayed or they will just install them improperly! With ChemCurbs, everything is in the kit and no other tools are needed because there's no mechanical fastening."
The Borman job used circular ChemCurbs, which come in two sizes. They are also available in Straight and Corner components to allow virtually any size needed. Another nice thing is that this green, nonpolluting system has been on the market since 1995 and is warranted against leaks when properly installed.
The repairs/replacements on the Borman roof were made in 2005. Says Boessen: "No reported leaks."
Robert Boessen, RRC
Dressler Consulting Engineers, Incorporated
TZBINFO -- stavebnictvi uspory energii technicka zarizeni budov -- New elements energy evaluation of buildings"At European market is entering a new building chemistry. Datum: 12.9.2008 11:12 Date: 12.9.2008 11:12
Na evropsk trh vstupuje firma Chemlink, kter se v nuje v rob tmel, stavebn ch lepidel a ostatn stavebn chemie. To enter the European market Chemlink company, which is dedicated to the manufacture of cement, construction adhesives and other building chemistry. S dlo a v roba firmy Chemlink je v USA. Office and manufacturing company Chemlink in the United States. Sortiment je ur en pro technologie ve stavebnictv , na r zn druhy podklad v etn mokr ch. Range is designed for technology in construction, on different types of documents, including wet."
BBT Info
Norconn Services, Co., Inc., Enfield Connecticut is a huge fan of the family of Chem Link products. They use a variety of products, including their favorite - DuraSil. "You have many great products. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly following my request for information. We would be happy to provide additional endorsements, if needed. "
Norman Smith, Executive Vice President
Norconn Services Co., Inc., Enfield Connecticut
"We have specified Chem Link products for at least 5 years on a variety of difficult sealing jobs and have found that they are superior to any comparable products. Our firm specializes in water-related issues in the building envelope. We encounter problems with incompatible materials and other conditions that require special materials. Recently we had to patch several penetrations in a 40 year old coal tar pitch waterproofing membrane on the plaza at an office building in lower Manhattan. Your company advised us on the appropriate materials and installation procedures we needed to successfully seal the holes. No other product on the market could have done the job... We will continue to specify your products because they have made our jobs easier and improved our reputation."
Justin Henshell, FAIA, FASTM
Henshell & Buccellato, Consulting Architects
Pitts Roofing Company Inc. Fort Worth, Texas, has been in business for 16 years and has 30 employees. "We have used ChemCurb Penetration Seals with Pro Pack and 1-Part pourable sealers and M-1 Structural Adhesive/Sealant for ten plus years. Never had a leak or problem. No waste...The Chem Link rep trained our crews."
Dan Pitts Sr. and Dan Pitts Jr.
Pitts Roofing Company Inc. Fort Worth, Texas
VFC Lightning Protection, North Salt Lake, Utah, in business since 1982, has 100 employees with offices in several states. According to company spokesman Chuck Neve, they have been using M-1 Structural Adhesive nearly every day since 2003 and love it because it presents low VOC's, does not deteriorate in sunlight and has no handling restrictions. They also like that their questions are answered promptly by Chem Link staff so their time is not wasted.
Chuck Neve
VFC Lightning Protection, North Salt Lake, Utah
Wray Roofing, North Newton, Kansas, was started by Kevin and Rick Wray 30 years ago and they continue a long family tradition of delivering quality service with customer satisfaction and safety consciousness as primary goals. With a staff of 110, Wray's has over 160 years of combined experience in the roofing business. "We have been using NovaLink and MetaLink for over two years and are looking forward to using more of Chem Link's product line. We are impressed with the quality of the products and ease of use and the service we receive from our local Manufacturer's Rep, Dorsey Troutman."
Kevin and Rick Wray
Wray Roofing, North Newton, Kansas
