Nobody ever has any reason to go up on their roof. But your flat roof has been in a slow decline ever since it was originally installed. It is not anything you did, more of what you didn’t do. And the only reason you are paying attention to it now is, more than likely, you have a leak. Right?
There are a host of reasons it has gone south. While some reaons may be natural, others may be premature. I have included in-depth articles on my blog about Metal Roof Repair, Commercial Roofing Options and Flat Roof Repair. In today’s post I just wanted to give you a quick outline on flat roof repair.
So for all you building owners and facilities professionals, lets dig in.
I was going through some of my many blogs I follow for commercial roofs and remembered one that was very comprehensive. It was written by Jana Madsen awhile back for Buildings.com. Its a blog for facilities guys.
The Top Ten Most Common Roof Problems
The Top 10 Most Common Roof Problems. BY JANA MADSEN for Building.com
“If you look at a failure curve, most roofs are the best they’re going to be at the time they are installed. The curve is pretty flat in terms of their deterioration for the first several years, and the last 25 or 30 percent of the roof [life], the curve becomes more steep,” explains Ron Harriman, vice president, Benchmark Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA. Unfortunately, problems are inevitable as the roof ages. Without proper and routine maintenance, these minor problems can even become catastrophic.
1) ROOF LEAKS AND MOISTURE
2) BLOW-OFFS, TENTING, REDUCED WIND UPLIFT RESISTANCE, AND BILLOWING
3) POOR INSTALLATION AND UNSATISFACTORY WORKMANSHIP
4) LACK OF MAINTENANCE
5) PONDING WATER
6) PUNCTURES AND THE ADDITION OF PENETRATIONS POST-INSTALLATION
7) SAFETY
8) IMPROPER REPAIRS
9) SHRINKAGE
10) BLISTERING
“With any roof – no matter what type – if you’ve got roof leaks, then you’ve got a problem,” explains Charles Praeger, executive director, Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA), Cleveland. Leaks can occur for a number of reasons. Built-up roofs (BUR) might experience leaks due to flashing details that weren’t fastened properly during installation. “The problems an owner is typically going to have [with a BUR system] is that 95 percent of leaks occur at flashing details – anywhere the membrane itself is terminated or interrupted,” explains Helene Hardy Pierce, director of contractor services, GAF Materials Corp., Wayne, NJ. Additionally, hot bituminous and torch-applied modified bitumen roofs may experience leaks when a proper moisture barrier is not installed underneath a coping cap on parapet walls, according to Avoiding Common Roof Installation Mistakes, a CD-Rom produced by the Center for the Advancement of Roofing Excellence (CARE Ltd.).
In summary, hire a good contractor to insure proper installation. Get on a regular roof maintenance program. You need someone up there on a regular basis to head expensive repairs off at the pass. And that’s it. Unfortunately too many times I’ve encountered poor workmanship and there hadn’t been a sole up on the roof to take a look since it was installed.
To find out more on how we can help with your roofing issues, call us at (512) 537 4408.
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