Easy Solutions to Low-slope Roof Failures – Part 2

By Monica Pedrique, Surecoat.

How knowledge and prevention can make a BIG difference in the life of your commercial roof.

In Part 1 we reviewed a few factors that affect the lifespan of a flat roof such as poor installation, weathering and wind-uplift. In this second part of our series we will explore a few more of the most common ones; from what they are, how and why they happen, to what steps you can take to prevent or repair them.

Blistering – As the name suggests, blisters are long, thin areas on the roof that are bubble-like in appearance and similar to the blisters that can occur on the skin. They are extremely common and occur when a gas, such as water vapor, becomes trapped within the roofing system. The sun causes the gas to expand, pushing the plies apart and resulting in blistering. Blisters form as the result of moisture in the membrane. Often, they arise after installing a new roof over damp substrate or applying wet materials. Insulation that has become damp as the result of improper storage can also lead to trapped moisture in the membrane.

Our coatings are especially engineered to withstand moisture from penetrating the coating’s surface, inhibiting the creation of blisters when properly installed. As an added benefit of the SureCoat System, our products can be used to repair areas where blisters have occurred even with other non-SureCoat Systems’ coatings, and because it is compatible with multiple surfaces and roof substrate types, it is the ideal roof repair system.

Ponding water- Rain and snow highly affect flat roofs since there’s nowhere for precipitation to go, ponding water that sits over a prolonged period of time is a big contributor to roof failures. Also, roof shifting as your building settles over time may cause water to pool in divots and dips and other weaker areas of the roof and sometimes will move into the layers underneath and cause bigger issues. When ponding water lingers, it’s likely to deteriorate the exterior of your roof, shortening its lifetime significantly.

Ponding water is no match for the specialty marine based resins in SureCoat and SureSet products, these materials are formulated and designed to withstand ponding water, extreme temperatures and remain flexible when combined with the SureCoat Poly-Mesh Roof Fabric for added tensile strength, with SureCoat Systems’ products those pools or ponds are no longer a concern.

The most common factor affecting the life of any and all roofs is poor maintenance or in some cases the complete lack thereof.

Regular roof inspections and regular roof maintenance can help you catch problems while they are still small and easily fixed to help protect your warranty. Issues that arise from lack of maintenance will void most warranties. Roof inspections can also help avoid loss or damage to secondary property such as internal or external equipment, furniture, or even having to shut down your business for a prolonged period of time because of major roof system failures.

SureCoat Systems can help you assess your roof and can help create an annual report that will notify you of areas that need attention such as delaminated areas, worn waterways and areas where water ponds, cracks and splitting around new or old penetrations, blisters, parapet walls separating and failing, deteriorating caulking, equipment curbs, drains and more.

By understanding what these key factors are you will be able to save time, money and add years to the roof.

Have a question? AskARoofer.   

Find your local roofing contractor in the RoofersCoffeeShop® Contractor Directory. 

Original article source: Surecoat