Satellite Dangling from the Roof, Who's responsible?

[findnemo]

Well we had some rough winds yesterday and this morning I noticed the satellite was dangling from the roof.

We just had it installed on Nov. 16th, and I was wondering who's responsible if my roof indeed does have some damage? It's the technician's fault? Right?

They are sending a guy on Friday, which is crap, because it can fall off and kill someone anytime soon.

Anyone know what I can do to get something out of this? It's crazy because my neighbor's dishes are completely fine.

 

[goober]

uhh no

 

[stevelite]

I do not believe this would be technician's fault. If it was caused by rough winds then it would be God's doing. That being said, I would think you would have to proof that the installation was at fault causing the damage to the roof.

Every time it rains, I worry about possible water leak cause I have about a dozen screws on my roof.

 

[jtn]

It's an act of god so it should not be your responsibility, either you homeowners will cover the damage to the roof, and DirecTV's insurance will cover the dish replacement.

I had a tree fall in my yard onto my cable line and it damaged the pole to the house. Comcast said it was an act of god so I had no liability. I was not charged a penny from Comcast.

 

[Van]

As an ex installer it is the techs responsibility to insure that the dish is mounted to a stable and secure location. In the case of a roof mount a tech should inspect the roof for the condition of the shingles and if they are visibly aged and in need of replacement that is one indication to not mount to the roof. If the roof has what looks to be a wave look to it then this is definitely a sign not to mount to the roof. Pounding on the roof in the prospective mounting area should give a solid / hard board underneath but if it gives a spongy return then the roofs rotten and should not be walked on let alone mounted to.

Now if the roof is relatively new and it came off then here are some things to look at.

1. What kind of hardware did the installer use to secure the dish to the roof? Generaly for a roof mount its good to use 7/16 x 3 inch wood lag bolts with the center bolts going into a supporting 2x4 and the other four bolts into the boards. To many times Ive seen subcontractors use drywall screws to do a roof mount or roofing nails.

2. Did the roofer replace old wood boarding when the roof was redone? Quite a few times Ive come across new roofs with old rotten boarding underneath that the roofer didnt replace wich I made sure to inform the customer on and most showed that they had been billed for it.

3. My favorite wich is the biggest reason for this happening is the amount of shingles on the roof, I cant tell you the amount of times in a week let alone a month that Ive run into a house where there was anywhere from 3 to 6 layers of shingles on the roof wich adds alot of distance between the foot plate of the dish mount and the boards / 2x4's of the roof. Worst one I had even my 5 inch wood lags couldnt get down to make purchase.

4. Mounting the dish over ice/snow and it melts later, seen this a few times and it leaves a gap and the mount will flop around in the wind.

5. Hurricane force winds can and do knock dishes off and thats an act of god wich exempts the company from replacing your roof. Having done hurricane relief work in 05 along the gulf I saw my fair share of this. If your in the pacific north west then this is what you have been dealing with lately and its documented all over the news right now to that effect.

If your roofs bad in any of these circumstances and you signed off on the installer putting the dish up then you do share some responsibility in the second and third instance if the insurance for the install company wants to see records from a roofer. You wont get a new roof out of this as it seems your trying to do but most likely a repair of the roof in that area and credit of some sort or another unless number 5 is the reason and then it will only be credit and a service call.

 

[Joe Diamond]

Uh?
The satellite is 23000 miles out, in orbit. The ODU (Outdoor Unit) you had attached to the roof must be the thing of which you speak. The tech and his company guarantee it won't do what it has done.
Whatever they bolted to was not strong enough to hold the lag bolts they ran into your roof.

I suggest you get a tube of asphalt caulk. Insist they use it first on the holes you report and then around the new dish location they will need to use to hit a roof truss with their lag bolts.

Consider a ground mount.

Joe

AND what Van said!

 

[findnemo]

I'm not trying to get a new roof out of this. It does piss me off as a new customer to almost have the satellite dish fall on my neighbors. I was simply asking if I could get some discount, or even a free protection coverage for 3-4 months.

This isn't something that I wanted to happen, the installer obviously did a careless job and the wind wasn't that bad. It was just normal winter wind. He messed up as I live in a town house, and my neighbor's dishes are fine. Our roofs are virtually the same, and they are in the same exact spot.

This installer was trying to get out early, as I can tell because he left the holes which he drilled in the basement uncovered, as ants can crawl into my basement as we speak.

Thanks for the info, they are coming Friday, but it's still dangling, and can still kill someone. I don't know why I'm getting hate for this, I'm just trying to get some compensation out of this. I mean it was installed ONLY 18 days ago.

 

[comcast]

Findingnemo, where do u live?

Hi there,

I have a feeling you're living' in da Pacific Northwest. This region has been pounded by strong 60-80mph gusts. Don't give up yet.


Stay warm. :up

 

[Rwwatson]

Are there other Dish's in the neighborhood that had a similar problem? If so, then it was probably the winds fault. If not, then you might have a very good case, especially with a new install. Just a thought....

 

[findnemo]

Nope my next door neighbor has two dishes up, and they are perfect. My other neighbor to my right has one dish and it's fine. Like I mentioned all the houses are the same, and so are the roofs.

I'm going strong with this one. The tech was careless installing the dish.

 

[Rwwatson]

It sounds like you are correct. Good luck!

 

[RandallA]

Take pictures. Sounds like a bad install to me.

 

[Van]

Anyone know what I can do to get something out of this?

Well that does leave alot of room for interpritation and having been an installer for 6 years you tend to run into people that want to get major work done for a minor problem. No hate here just pointing out some things to consider as we had to go on a lack of details such as how bad the wind was, the condition of the roof, wether its your home or a rental / lease property or something along the lines of a condo. Forgetting to seal happens but not doing it intentionaly happens more often than not with sub contracted work. Take photos now before the next guy gets here, have the complex staff inspect the roof and seal the holes now unless you want to deal with rain damage.

 

[Joe Diamond]

I'm not trying to get a new roof out of this. It does piss me off as a new customer to almost have the satellite dish fall on my neighbors. I was simply asking if I could get some discount, or even a free protection coverage for 3-4 months.

This isn't something that I wanted to happen, the installer obviously did a careless job and the wind wasn't that bad. It was just normal winter wind. He messed up as I live in a town house, and my neighbor's dishes are fine. Our roofs are virtually the same, and they are in the same exact spot.

This installer was trying to get out early, as I can tell because he left the holes which he drilled in the basement uncovered, as ants can crawl into my basement as we speak.

Thanks for the info, they are coming Friday, but it's still dangling, and can still kill someone. I don't know why I'm getting hate for this, I'm just trying to get some compensation out of this. I mean it was installed ONLY 18 days ago.

Nemo.
I didn't see the hate you mentioned. Report back what is discovered on your roof..........My guess is they missed the stud.........happens. IF your roof had a prior problem, perhaps unknown to you...no amount of hardware will hold that sucker down.

Consider a ground mount.

Joe

 

[Jimbo]

Nemo.
I didn't see the hate you mentioned. Report back what is discovered on your roof..........My guess is they missed the stud.........happens. IF your roof had a prior problem, perhaps unknown to you...no amount of hardware will hold that sucker down.

Consider a ground mount.

Joe

I was thinking the same thing, "They missed a stud".

Jimbo

 

[Stargazer]

Even if there was a hard wind they should still come out and fix it for free since the dish should have survived a strong wind. The exception would be if there were stronger winders than the usual, the type of wind that could be considered wind damage. The way you can fight that is by saying that your neighbor's dishes were not affected but only yours was and that nothing else experienced wind damage in the area. Those factors may be what determines whether they will come out and do it for free or if it will be on your dime.

 

[haertig]

Well we had some rough winds yesterday and this morning I noticed the satellite was dangling from the roof.

Take some pictures of that one! You're sure to make the news if you actually got hit by a satellite!

If it is actually the dish that's dangling, I'd definitely raise hell with Dish, especially if it was only installed 18 days ago. Unless you just had a hurricane or tornado. "Normal" winds, even if strong, should be easily handled by a competent installation. I'd accept no excuses for this shoddy work myself.

 

[Joe Diamond]

Take some pictures of that one! You're sure to make the news if you actually got hit by a satellite!

If it is actually the dish that's dangling, I'd definitely raise hell with Dish, especially if it was only installed 18 days ago. Unless you just had a hurricane or tornado. "Normal" winds, even if strong, should be easily handled by a competent installation. I'd accept no excuses for this shoddy work myself.

Raise hell with Directv.....right?

Also, "competent installation" is done by competent installers. I know many that are too busy trying to get paid or who have moved on due to the way the HSP and MSP programs have been dealing with contractors.

Joe

 

[jtn]

Well if you go to court, it's not a good probability, if you lose, then you are out the attorneys fees etc...

It's a roll of the dice, the contract is so tricky. I don't think it holds any value in court but you will probably wind up there to settle the issue.

 

[haertig]

Raise hell with Directv.....right?

Well now, how in the heck did I end up in the DirectTV forum???!!!

My mistake (although I suppose it doesn't matter much which companies satellite falls out of the sky and hits your house!) These homepage headline threads sometimes get you into a forum that you didn't intend. I'll have to look closer next time.