Basic Flat Roof Leak Repair in Simple Terms

The fact is that at some time in every person’s life, we’ll encounter the possibility of a leaky roof and the subsequent roofing repair work. There’s no way around it regardless of whether one does have to perform the actual repair themselves. The fact is, the majority of roofing companies repair work.

What About Roof Repair for the Do it Yourselfer?

What happens if the roof leaks and you do not have the funds to employ a professional or you’re unwilling to shell out the high cost? If you don’t know anyone who’s willing to get on your roof to fix it and fix the leak, you’ll need to tackle the job yourself.

Step One is to Find the Leak

The first step is to identify the leak and you could be surprised by the distance water can travel when it has found its way through the crack in your roof. It is evident that the felt paper or tar paper is three feet long and the plywood the building is clad with is in 4 8×8 sheets.

Water Can Travel Under a Flat Roof

What that means is that the stain of water on your ceiling could be up to 11 feet away from the spot the point where the leak actually occurs. This is at the top of the scale however, in the same way you should expect to see the leak on flat roofs at most just a few feet from the point at which the water is entering the building.

Pooling Water is Definitely Not Good

Another spot to check for signs of trouble is in the low regions of flat roofs, where water has a tendency to pool after rain. Roof joists or even trusses can settle or even expand to create dips in flat roofs, and the water that collects in these areas will eventually seep into the roof, provided it is dried out.

The Old Stand-By Roof Patching Compound

After you’ve found the source of the leak The next step in the procedure is to patch it. Fortunately, today there’s a wide array of options available to complete the job. There is the traditional standard plastic roof patching material There’s there’s no doubt about it however, it’s effective. It’s more effective when the patch for your roof is made using fiberglass mesh in three layers that roofing experts refer to as “three-coursing”.

 

Amazing EPDM Liquid Rubber

However, if the owner of a building has a bit more money there are many EPDM products that will not only do a better job at sealing roof leaks, they last longer too. EPDM liquid rubber, for example can be poured out and then rolled over low-lying areas to create an airtight seal that will hold water for as long as a year.

 

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