Many people believe that flat roofs are maintenance free, .
. . Wrong!
There are simple things that one can do to look after a flat
roof installation and save a lot of money in the long run. You can do some preventative
maintenance yourself, but don't hesitate to consult commercial roofing
contractors or a roofing specialist in modern roofing.
The first things you need to look at in commercial roofing systems
are drains.
Are they plugged?
Are the drain screens clear of debris?
Do the roof drains even have screens?
Simply take the screen off and clear the leaves, needles or
moss and place in a garbage bag. Re-install the screen once you are done. Some
modern roofs don't have a roof drain, but scuppers. They work the same way and generally
don't have a screen. Scuppers drain through the outside parapets of your home
or building. If your scupper does not have a screen contact your local
commercial roofing supply store; locating a screen is hard. The screen for a
scupper actually looks like the end of your kitchen whisk you beat your eggs
with. You could make a whisk into a screen by using wire cutters and cutting
about 3.5 inches out the end of the whisk; should work up to a 2.75 inch drain.
Some flat roofing systems in will have a straight drip edge (torch
on roofing) or what we call a gravel stop detail flashing (for low sloped
roofs, tar & gravel) where your roof will drain into a continuous
eaves-trough. These flashings can be problematic. At every joint where the
flashing overlaps the next piece; there is usually a tiny split or separation.
You can try to fix this yourself, but we highly recommend calling a
professional. A good roofing technician will fix the splits first time. However
a home owner or building maintenance for commercial roofing can pour a liquid
cold process sealant over the defects. Unsuccessful cold process sealing can
complicate the repair and will drive up roofing technician costs afterwards.
Cured cold liquid membranes are difficult to scrape and remove.
The eaves-trough gutters should be regularly cleaned out
once or twice a year depending on how many trees are nearby.
Moss growing on your roof?
It does happen on modern roofing too. Just scrape it off and spray the area with a
good environmental moss or mold killer.
When scraping it off be careful not to puncture the membranes. It is
best to use a plastic tool so it eliminates that risk. Moss growing on your low
sloped roof will eventually rot out the membranes. Look for any deficiencies
like bubbles or ridges that could be poking through the tar & gravel. These
imperfections should be fixed else persons like your satellite installer,
chimney guy and even your heating/ air conditioning guy who can step on these
defects will puncture the membranes . . . then you have problems! Always consult with
your roofing expert if you spot anything out of the ordinary.
High tech roofing - On your roof look at the chimney and
roof penetration flashings. Chimney collars require being re-caulked every
three to five years. Mulco Supra Expert or Titebond are good
brands to start with. Your local hardware store won't usually stock these
brands. Just do a Google search and it should point you to a supplier.
Call me now for any advice about flat roofs or visit my
website.
Modern roofing - flat roof leak repair
Chris Fraser, founder and owner of XL Roofing Edmonton
Alberta.
(780)-466-1601
chris@xlroofing.ca
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