Rough-Ride for Roof Mounted Equipment

Field reports from HVAC and roofing contractors indicate an increasing issue relating to the stability of rooftop equipment installations.  Earthquakes at 6.4 magnitude in January ran through the Caribbean wreaking havoc with the electrical grid and power lines, not to mention rooftop-mounted equipment.  Elsewhere, high winds and violent storms have caused the same.  As the rooftop becomes increasingly the destination of heat pumps, dual-fan splits, AC units and related piping, conduit, duct work and satellite dishes, the stability of installations becomes ever more critical.  Even after power is restored in these devastated areas, equipment may be still be non-functional if it even remains on the roof.

Universal Base

While the KnuckleHead support system can be loose laid, it has the unique advantage of being attachable.  The original universal base design, on which a variety of head designs can be fastened, featured two holes at the center, so mechanical fasteners could be set through to the roof deck.  But Green Link has retooled the base so that four holes are now available for mechanical attachment which significantly increases the strength of the installation. This is especially important where HVAC units are elevated or where elevated equipment such as double stack mini splits are the choice.  In laboratory tests, the four fastener base installation increased support strength by 40% involving a 12” strut Knucklehead configuration.  The base can also be further secured and sealed using specially formulated Green Link Adhesive/Sealant.

New design with four attachment holes in base for greater attachment strength.

No change has been made to the basic design of the base.  The holes are still positioned in the center of the base, and the range of head designs—strut, large pipe, small pipe, paver and solar—still attach in the same way, by rotating the head onto the molded-in-place bolt.