Why do Flat Roofs Leak?
Who cares why flat roofs leak?
- Home Owners
Naturally the men want to keep the wife happy, and hate the nagging about a leak
- Business owners
Off course they want to keep a la de da profile
- Landlords
Ahh, they would not want to lose a tenant that doesn’t care about their properties
- Insurance Companies
They don’t want to pay for damages caused by leaky flat roofs – mucho dinero
- Roofing Contractors
Hmm, money money money
Who cares why flat roofs leak?
Naturally the men want to keep the wife happy, and hate the nagging about a leak
Why do Landlords care if flat roofs leak?
Ahh, they would not want to lose a tenant that doesn’t care about their properties
Someone mentioned a few days ago “they hate flat roofs because they always leak”.
Flat Roos Leak I talk from thirty years of experience in dealing with flat roofs only. When I got into flat roofs, I started by fixing leaks on mostly flat roofs on residential buildings. It was not long after I started repairing leaky flat roofs, that I got to install a complete rubber roof. My first two years of flat roofs, repairing leaks and installing new roofs, almost put me out of business. I had so many callbacks on my own jobs that I could almost not keep up with fixing my own mistakes plus trying to do new work to keep head above water.
By taking care of all the flat roof leaks I was responsible for, gave me the best knowledge and experience to understand flat roofs and why they would leak.
Inexperienced Roofers: This is the biggest reason for a leaky roof. During my first two years, I made so many mistakes and did not know anything about flashing, welding seams, material compatibility, and why some areas will cause leaks.
Incompatible roofing materials: There are basically three types of roofing materials used for flat roofs. One can not fix an EPDM Rubber with tar. You can not adhere to Modified Bitumen Torch Down to an EPDM Rubber directly. (I made that mistake) Many tars bought in places like Home Depot are not compatible with Modified Bitumen Rubber.
Flashing: Most flat roof leaks originate from flashing. Most roof technicians still don’t know how to make a transition from a rubber roof to a metal surface. (flashing)
Objects on Flat Roofs: Skylights, chimneys, A/C units, vent pipes, pitch pockets, and other objects contribute to one of the main causes of flat roof leaks. When a skylight seal is broken on the glass, the leak will show in a flat roof itself. When the mortar on the chimney or the chimney crown is cracked, you will find the leak to appear on the flat roof. When an air conditioner unit’s pan is rusted through, it will show a leak on a flat roof.
Transitions to a pitched roof: Many times an adjacent pitch roof, like an asphalt shingle roof or a cedar roof, will be the reason for a leak on a flat roof. When a shingle roof starts leaking, the water will flow to the bottom of the roof to where the rubber roof is connected, and flow under the rubber membrane causing a leak on the flat roof.
Inferior Roofing Materials: EPDM Rubber is the worst roofing material to use for flat roofs. EPDM Rubber Roofs don’t last 10 years without major issues. The adhesives that bond the seams together fail due to extreme heat.
I have installed hundreds of roofs in the last 30 years and I very very seldom would get a call back on any roof I have installed. If I do get a callback, then it is normally some issue with something connected to the roof like a chimney, vent pipes and so on.
Flat roofs only leak because of bad workmanship. You hire inexperienced roofers, you more than likely will pay the price of a replacement down the road.