From Shingles to Rubber

If your home has a flat roof with membrane roofing, you'll want to check the membrane regularly for holes and other damage. If you can walk out on the roof yourself, it's easy to watch for damage. However, if you have to climb up on a ladder, you may want a roofer to check your roof every year or two and after a bad storm.

Membrane roofing is fairly easy to repair, so that makes it easier to keep your roof in good shape. Here are some damages the roofing service may look for and how repairs are done. 

1. Patch Up Holes And Rips

Punctures are fairly common on membrane roofing, especially if you use the roof as a deck and walk on it frequently. Other things can cause punctures too, such as birds pecking on the roof and hail strikes. When there's a hole in the membrane, rain leaks through and gets the insulation boards underneath wet. This can cause the boards to rot and that shortens the life of your roof.

A roofing service can fix puncture holes by cutting out a round patch in a similar type of membrane and then adhering it to the roof over the hole. The membrane is either attached by heat welding that melts the patch to the roof or with adhesive. When applied properly, a patch keeps your roof waterproof and helps it have a long life.

When punctures are numerous, as might happen because of a hailstorm, the roofer might have to tear off the old membrane and put on a new one. If there is no moisture damage to the insulation boards, the roofing service might cover up the old membrane with the new one instead and give you a new roof.

2. Fix Drainage Problems

You also want to find drainage problems as quickly as possible, and that's why it's good to have your roof checked regularly. If rain doesn't drain from your roof, it collects and adds weight to your roof's structure. The longer water stands on the roof, the higher the risk of a roof leak. Drainage problems can be caused by a clogged drain or by a dam created by something on the roof.

The roofing service has to figure out the cause of the problem and fix it so rain can drain freely again. The service may need to clean out the drain or gutters and clean tree debris off of the roof. If that doesn't fix the problem, they may need to adjust the slope of the roof. That might be done by filling in a depression or by adding new insulation boards that create a slope.

Contact a local roofing service for more info.