GRP Roof Cleaning - Damage?

[Bespoke - Tyla]

Good Evening all,

We've been contacted by an old customer who's GRP roof we cleaned up in June 2022. They've claimed our cleaning has caused critical damage and led to a leak which has now damaged the OSB boarding underneath and the woodwork.

I attach pictures of the roof before and after cleaning.

The roof was cleaned using degreaser, and a soft bristle brush on extendable pole. It was rinsed off with a low pressure wash to ensure no degreaser left on.

Has anyone ever heard of a GRP roof having the 'coating' washed off (as the roofing contractor and customers who installed the roof 6.5 years ago are claiming), with this then causing leaks, thereby causing gradual damage. To me that feels totally wrong.

GRP roofs to my knowledge are supposed to be rocoated every 5-or-so years And even if a 'protective coating' was removed somehow with soap and water, these are primarily for aesthetics and not a part of the waterproofing system.

Any advice welcome, getting in touch with insurers, but wanted to run this past any folks with experience.

Thank you!

 

[Dave B]

Grp is fibreglass which is waterproof on its own hence some of us use it to waterproof our van floors
A brush couldn’t damage that

 

[Pjj]

GRP roofs are finished off with a gel coat you arnt going to hurt that with a brush and de greaser or Evan a pressure washer unless you go mad with it , unless there are areas that haven’t cured properly when the roof was done , I think they are trying to pull a fast one , I would pass it to my insurance company let them deal with it , doubt they will pay out .

 

[scottish cleaning service]

Unless you or your employees stood on it then they don't have a leg to stand on. Probably will be the result of the very low temperatures. Rain water standing and freezing can end up with cracks. I would tell them to take me to court if they want to but I will be denying negligence and may counter sue for costs and damage to my business reputation. They probably tried to claim their insurance and they have rejected the claim so now trying to claim yours. fwiw

 

[ched999uk]

We had a grp roof installed and it came with a 15 year warranty, conditional on a 5 yearly inspection. It was OSB, then fibreglass matting, then resin - rollered in to impregnate the matting and push it through the matt to bond it to the osb. Then more matting at 90 degrees to the first, more resin, then a top coloured gel coat.
The fibreglass is virtually the same stuff you build canoes out of. It's very strong as it's bonded to the OSB. Our installers even asked us if we wanted a non slip texture applied so we could walk on it!
I used to regularly walk on ours even without the non slip as the seagulls used to drop bits of KFC on the roof and then spend hrs throwing them about to get the bits of chicken off. In the 10 years after it was installed it never had an issue.

I would say the installer is trying to blame you for cleaning the roof to divert attention to his naff installation. I would say it's almost impossible to damage gel coat with a brush unless you are smashing the side of the stock against it.

Speak to your insurance company and explain what you did to clean the roof. Keep notes of all communications with your insurance company and the customer.

I would also be inclined to google the installation company and read their reviews, see what trade bodies they are registered with, look them up on companies house. You may find interesting info!!
Good Luck