Flat roofs and leaks

 One of the most common problems for all buildings with flat roofs is leaking. People have tried to analyze and define the frequent reasons that make flat roofs leak. In the following text, thanks to the great experience of its employees in the roofing business, DNB Construction, LLC has explained the top 5 usual reasons why a flat roof may leak.

The roof is old

Each roofing material has some more or less limited lifespan. This is primarily the case of the flat roofs from the 1960s and 1980s. It means that a flat roof can be leaking since its construction material has got to the end of its life. But, with the technology development, we have new materials on the market that have a longer lifespan than their precursors. Homeowners usually repair flat roofs with some bituminous sheets and necessary liquid treatments. There are a lot of cases when this couldn’t because of the hazardous state of the current waterproofing.

Poor construction and maintenance

A great number of homeowners witness that poor maintenance and inadequate roof construction have caused leaks. In many cases, cracks and splits have appeared on the roof that allows water to get into the roof. The story with the roof has to be well-organized and carried out from its beginning, including the choice of materials, the roofing works, and its maintenance. To make the roof installation works cheaper, a lot of homeowners opt for materials of poor quality or medium-quality roofers. All this brings more costs and problems with the roof in a short time.

Issues with the structure

Proper roof design has to take into account that all buildings expand and contract. This happens because of the heat. Old membrane systems weren’t constructed to take the movement degree that can appear in the case of a flat roof. So, homeowners whose houses and their roofs weren’t made with expansion joints have to be prepared for the early membranes’ decline. In the construction of the modern flat roofs this movement was included. Also, the roof may leak if roofers didn’t dry the roof properly after the wet and rainy period while the installation was carried out or the timber was damp when used for installation.

Problems with moisture and ‘trapped’ air

There is significant evidence that moisture and air trapped inside the roof may cause large blisters in waterproofing. This may lead to one or more visible ponds on the roof. Additionally, blisters may be in the ponds as true signs that the water is inside. When the water penetrates into the roof structure, serious problems may arise. In the first place, if the temperature inside is a bit higher it turns into water vapor. What is more, the vapor has to go out the roof and in this way makes the pressure that causes blisters.

Stratifying

Professional roofers see condensation between the layers of the membrane as the main reason for the roof to stratify. When this happens, there is no more structural connection among the layers. If the condensation appears it may cause a point where the temperature falls down and vapor becomes liquid. In this way, the liquid can’t go away and it simply collects causing the layers to divide.

As you have seen, there are couple of important reasons why flat roofs may have problems with leaks. In case you have any questions about the condition of your roof or you have some problems caused by the leaks, we are DNB Construction, LLC a professional roofing company ready to help. Contact us @ 301-362-7663.

Source: Flat roofs and leaks