Welcome to Family Roofing

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At Family Roofing, we take great pride in our experience, expertise, quality and customer service. It is our mission to provide excellent workmanship and complete customer satisfaction from start to completion of a project. Our reputation is based on service, safety and quality, regardless of how large or small the job.

 

Common Flat Roof Problems

Now that we have covered some of the general threats that your roof might face, let’s dive further into the most common problems that often occur with a flat roof.  Keep in mind, by having a better understanding of these common issues, you will be more equipped to proactively manage the flat roof of your home.  Some of these issues are preventable, while others are out of your control and will require careful monitoring over time.

Exposure

Exposure is essentially the root of all flat roof problems.  Since a building’s roof is constantly exposed to the sun and other elements, damage from the outside world is inevitable.  No roofing material, no matter how durable, can last forever.  Common flat roof issues include over-exposure to the sun, lightning strikes, freezing, hail, and wind damage or wind-driven debris.  There are even less common exposure issues such as oil damage in restaurants or exposure from outside pollutants and chemicals.

Leaks

Leaks are an all-too-common occurrence in buildings with flat roofs.  This is mostly because flat roofs tend to lose their ability to effectively shed water if not properly maintained.  Once moisture is unable to drain from the roof, it’s just a matter of time before it finds its way into the building.  Though roof leaks may seem harmless enough, they can lead to much bigger problems down the road if not addressed promptly and accordingly.

Pooling or Standing Water

Pooling or standing water is the water that accumulates on your roof that doesn’t drain within 72 hours.  In most cases, this issue occurs because your roof is too flat.  There needs to be some level of slope so that the water can make its way to a drainage spout.  If you run into this problem, there is a good chance that your building will end up with serious structural damage to your building if the issue is not fixed fairly quickly.

Blistering or Alligatoring

Blistering (sometimes called alligatoring) is a common issue for flat roofs.  This is when the roof’s membrane pulls away from the layer that is below it (like a blister).  Extreme heat during the day will make moisture in the membrane expand.  Damage in this case is most often related to cracks that are formed from the membrane movement.

Roof Buckling

The membrane on a flat roof is one single piece, which means it can warp over time as your building settles into place.  Once your roof’s buckling becomes visible to the naked eye, it has reached the end of its life.  If the roof is buckling to an extreme measure, it could fall through the building, potentially causing serious harm to those inside.

Separated or Exposed Layers

When a membrane layer of your flat roof becomes separated from the layer below it, your building becomes exposed to leaks.  This problem typically occurs due to standing water and is similar to blistering.  However, separated or exposed layers may not always be as visibly obvious.  For this reason, it’s a good idea to bring out professional roofers for regular roof maintenance check-ups to help you spot exposed layers before they turn into a larger problem.

Low-Quality Flashing

Flashing is designed to direct water away from critical areas of the roof.  If your roof installation was improperly equipped with low-quality flashing, there’s a good chance that water is collecting in all the wrong spots.  The damage from this issue can be wide ranging depending on how poorly your flashing was installed.

Cracks in the Roof

Cracks can occur on a flat roof for a variety of reasons.  Whether it’s from pooling water, blistering, thermal movement, or roof buckling, cracks are by far one of the most common problems that you will run into with a flat roof.  Again, without regular roof maintenance, water will find its way through these cracks, causing damage over time to the inside of your building.

Debris

Debris on a roof is any loose material or refuse such as leaves, tree limbs, dirt/mud, dust, or even trash from human presence.  Any roof will have a small amount of debris on it at any given time due to natural wear-and-tear and exposure to the elements, but too much debris build-up can potentially clog drains and cause irreparable damage—especially on flat roofs that lack a natural slope for drainage.  To ensure a flat roof drains correctly (or to ensure that a fluid-applied restoration system can be installed properly), debris can be removed by pick up, leaf-blowing, or pressure-washing.

Neglecting Maintenance

Perhaps the single biggest cause of premature roof failure is forgetting to perform routine maintenance.  All of the above-mentioned flat roof problems are easily preventable with routine maintenance and roof inspections.