Commercial Rubber Flat Roof Installation in Stamford CT

The most common problems on Commercial Rubber Flat Roof are:

Commercial Rubber Flat Roof - This is a good example of what a EPDM looked like after several yeas and why we need to replace it.
This is a commercial roof we did after two other roofing companies have failed before us
  1. Ponding or standing water
  2. Clogged strainers over internal drains
  3. Clogged scuppers that protrude through a parapet wall
  4. Drains are not in the right areas
  5. Edges are higher than the roof preventing water run-off
  6. Air Conditioner curb flashing
  7. Vent pipes and scuppers

Other problems are also common as in flashing, air conditioner curbs, vent pipes and drains that could be causing leaks.

In the old days, half pipes were used to cover a parapet wall. Those days are over, and the best is to remove them and replace them with aluminum metal edging.

This commercial roof had several problems before we started installing a new flat roof rubber membrane.

EPDM Rubber failed after five years – a problem for flat roofs owners

An EPDM rubber roof was installed five years before our roof installation. Again the EPDM roof fails prematurely.

Most EPDM roofs don’t last that long due to the adhesives that were used to glue it down. The EPA has now ruled that the EPDM roofing industry can not any longer use the contact cement adhesives due to environmental and toxic problems. Therefore EPDM roofers have to use new, untried methods to adhere to the rubber to the sub-roof and the seams.

It takes 10- 15 years before any system can show its weaknesses. Unfortunately, homeowners and businesses are the guinea pigs to be used for this trial period.

If you have a flat roof in Stamford, Connecticut, the chances are good that it is leaking. From my experience, these rubber roofs fail prematurely due to the adhesives that are used to glue the seams together. If the roof happened to be covered with a deck or other materials, then it could last longer

Old Half Round Pipe Caps on Parapet walls

Most old commercial roofs still have the old half round clay pipes that cover a parapet wall. They tend to give a lot of trouble. It is also tough to end the rubber roof under the edge due to so many people trying to fix it using tar.

Commercial rubber Flat roof - Most old commercial roofs still have the old half round clay pipes that covers a parapet wall.
This is an EPDM Rubber Roof that was barely five years old when this image was taken

EPDM Rubber Transition to walls

Two problems. The transition of the EPDM Roof to the wall was wrong. There were no scuppers to let the water off. When installing a rubber roof on an existing commercial roof, one thing to try and avoid is to leave the old half round clay pipes on a parapet wall.

It is much better to have them removed and continued with the rubber membrane over the wall. After that, a metal cap can be installed over the membrane to give it a nice appearance on the outside of the wall.

Commercial Rubber Flat Roof - It is far better to close the internal drains and install scuppers on a commercial roof if situation can permit so.
Water was pooling towards the back of the building and had no where to drain off

Installed two scuppers for roof drainage

We removed the half pipes and installed two scuppers towards the back of the commercial roof.

You can see a comparison of the images above and below where we removed the half pipes. It is a much better system that will last forever. We also closed the old drains and installed two scuppers. No more drains to clog.

Notice how much better the roof looks after the half pipes are gone. It is also apparent that the scuppers are more practical than roof drains in this case.

Notice how much better the roof looks after the half pipes were removed

 Torch Down Rubber Membrane Roof

After the installation, a rainstorm passed over, and the water was still draining off when the picture was taken. We used a rubber roof membrane with white granular that is reflective to help reduce the heat in the building.

The granular surface also protects the material against ultraviolet This will make the rubber roof last 25 – 40 years. Unlike in EPDM rubber where the material is black and have no protection.

This roof was just completed when a rain storm came over.
This image was taken shortly after a heavy rain. Notice there was almost no water pooling
The best rubber roof is when the membrane is coated with black or white granules to protect against ultraviolets.
All the wall caps were removed
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