[How To Prevent Flat Roof Replacement]: 5 Flat Roof Repair Services That Can Lengthen the Life of Your Roof

Your roof is the most important part of your building. Think about it: without the roof, you’d just have four walls.

If you own a building with a flat roof, you understand that flat roof maintenance differs greatly from sloped roof maintenance.

Keep reading to learn the five methods of flat roof repair that will keep your roof sealed and secure. 

Inspect First, Flat Roof Repair Second

Before you call an expert, take some time to peruse your roof. You should have some kind of roof access that allows you to see what may be causing some of the internal problems you’re seeing, like leaks. 

You never know if your roof needs replacing or just repairs until you take a look. If you see problem areas like roof splits, blistering, or water pooling, then it’s time to call the experts to repair your flat roof problems. 

1. Repair Splits

Roof splits look just like what they sound: splits in the middle of the roof. They come from the general wear and tear that exposure to the elements causes. 

The basic weather elements along with the stress of someone walking on the roof or even just a bad installation can lead to roof splits. If you’ve noticed your ceiling leaking in your roof or stained interior tiles, you may have a split roof that needs repair. 

Roof experts can repair splits quickly and simply. They remove the damaged area of the roof material, clean and dry the underneath sections of the roof, and then lay material over some adhesive. 

While this sounds simple, you still need a professional to do the job. Doing the job yourself may compromise your building insurance. 

2. Prevent Ponding

Ponds are pretty, but you do not want one on your flat roof.

Roof experts know how to keep water from pooling on your roof and send it running down into street gutters. Flat roofs typically have drainage systems like gutters that drain on their edges.

In your roof inspection, if you notice ponding, check your drains and gutters. They may be clogged with leaves, sticks, or other environmental debris. Sometimes just cleaning your gutter will help the water drain properly. 

Once you clean the gutters, if the ponding does not go away, you most likely need a new drainage system or more external gutters. Roof experts will install additional gutters if the ponding occurs on the edge of the roof, and they will use automatic pumps if the pooling occurs in the middle of the roof. 

A roofing expert may also build up or relay more roofing materials to create more of a slight slope in your flat roof. The slope will lead the water away from the central areas of the roof and toward the edges where the drains are. 

You need to stop ponding. It can cause deep indents around the roof. Stains and watermarks will begin to appear inside the building because of ponding. Even worse, if the low spots continue to collect water, the moisture will seep into the building. 

3. Check for Blistering

If you live in a warmer part of the world, you may notice blistering on your flat roof. Roof experts lay multiple layers of felt and felt substrate to create your flat roof. When they do this, air can get trapped between the layers. 

When that air heats up in the warm, summer months, air pockets form and the material bubbles up. These are the blisters you see. 

If you do not care for those blisters, they will continue to grow. Eventually, the roofing material will burst or rupture, creating a hole. Just like splits, the holes will allow water through the roof and into your building. 

Water damage will follow.

Roof maintenance experts will tear up the blistered roofing material and replace it. Roofing pros who specialize in flat roof maintenance know how to deal with these problems. They will use new material with proper weather-proofing techniques, preventing future bubbles and burst materials. 

4. Avoid Environmental Hazards

No matter where you live, the environment will work against man-made buildings. Look at your building carefully. Consider the environmental hazards that could cause roof damage.

Start with trees. If you have any trees near your roof, trim back the foliage away from your roof. Sticks and leaves can clog your drainage system and lead to water damage on your roof.

If you live in a hot area, regularly check for blistered material.

As you examine your roof regularly, do not examine it alone. Most flat roofs are not designed for walking, so you should always have someone with you in case you find yourself in a precarious situation. 

5. Use the Right Coat

Sometimes you can do all of the right things, and bad things still happen. 

If your roof does not have a high-quality coating, no amount of maintenance will prevent damage. Roof experts understand the best type of coating to maintain the integrity of your flat roof in your environment. 

Furthermore, if you have roof problems already, pick a professional roofing expert. They know how to repair a flat roof. 

Make sure you pick a roofing expert that understands the wear and tear a flat roof sustains in your environment. 

Don’t Hide From Flat Roof Repair

Be proactive with your roof and not reactive. If you’re seeing a problem from the inside of your building, you have a problem on the outside. 

For all of your flat roof repair needs, contact us.