Flat Roofing Maintenance & Advice

General flat roof maintenance includes getting rid of ponding water, The best time to address the issue of ponding water is during the design phase of a new roofing project when sufficient falls can be designed to take standing water away. The quicker you get the water off the roof, the less chance there is for a roof leak to occur.

All roofs should be inspected semi-annually and after major storms. During the roof inspection particular attention should be paid to the flashings around all of the roof top penetrations and perimeter edges. Repairs to lap seams in base flashings should be made. 90% of all roof leaks and failure occur at the flashings. Another important maintenance item, often neglected, is to simply keep the roof drains free of debris. A clogged roof drain will cause water to pond, leading to increased "dead load" ponding water on a roof can freeze. Often, water finds its way into a flashing seam and freezes, weakening the seam.

For bitumen based roof coverings maintenance also includes keeping the tar paper covered with gravel.

Maintenance also includes fixing blisters (delaminations) or creases that may not yet be leaking but will leak over time. Roof coatings can be used to fix leaks and extend the life of all types of flat roofs by preventing degradation by the sun (ultra-violet radiation).

The life expectancy of a flat roof can be proportional to the maintenance done on it. 10 years as an average life cycle, although this is dependent on the type of flat roof system in place unless a roof has been neglected for too long and there are many problems in many areas.

Modern cold applied membranes such as Rhepanol Fk have been durability rated by the British Board of Agreement (BBA). BBA approval is an important benchmark in determining the suitability of a particular flat roofing system A fit-for-purpose Rhepanol Fk system used as a waterproofing membrane will last for many years with just occasional inspection needed. The fact that such membranes do not require stone chippings to deflect heat means there is no risk of stones blocking drains.