A common type of flat roof repair you may need to have done on your building is to get rid of depressions that allow rain to puddle on the roof. Puddles are bad for roofing because they hold water against the roof and could eventually lead to a roof leak if the water can't dry out fast enough. Here are some things that can cause water to puddle up on your roof and the types of flat roof repairs you might need.
The Causes Of Water Puddles On A Flat Roof
A common cause of drainage problems is debris on the roof. If leaves and small branches collect on the roof, they may form a dam that won't let water roll toward the roof drain or gutters. Even worse, the drain might be covered by leaves or clogged with them and not let much rain drain from the roof at all.
Another cause of water puddles is when a depression forms on the roof. This might be due to moisture damage under the membrane or it could be due to something heavy, such as an HVAC unit that causes the roof to sink a little.
It's also possible the previous roofer may have made a mistake when installing the roof. Even flat roofs need a slight slope so rain can roll toward a drain. If the roof is perfectly flat, water just sits on the roof.
Flat Roof Repairs That Could Be Needed
Your roofer might need to clean out a roof drain or you might need to clean your gutters so rain can drain properly. The roofer may even need to clean the roof to get rid of tree debris so the leaves and twigs don't cause further problems.
If the issue is a depression in the roof, the depression has to be filled and a slope made so rain flows so it can drain away. A depression in a flat roof can be filled in different ways, such as with putty material, and then covered with a membrane patch.
Applying a patch to membrane roofing is a common type of flat roof repair. The roofer cuts a large circular patch from a piece of membrane and then glues or heat welds it to the roof to make a watertight seal.
The roofer may also look for damage caused by ponding water, such as rusted metal flashing or damage to a membrane. If the water caused any damage, the roofer has to replace the rusted metal or damaged material to ensure the roofing can keep rain from getting under the membrane.
For more information on flat roof repair, contact a company near you.
Share25 February 2022
When your home's roof gets old and leaky, what do you do? You put another roof on your home, of course! Well, you probably won't put the roof on personally. Chances are, you'll instead hire a professional roofer or a roofing team to do this work for you. And this is a job you want done by a pro. Roofing requires a lot of skill, along with lots of tools that the average person does not have. Hiring a pro will ensure the job is done properly so your home stays dry and protected as the years go on. Read more about that here!