Has your flat roof aged?
Customarily, residential flat roofs were predominantly made of asphalt materials. Over the last 10 years manufacturing has advanced giving rise to a much stronger and more durable designs now using different types of plastics.
Since the entry of these new-style materials and products, flat roofing experts have almost entirely eliminated some of the more common failures with appears with an older, asphalt roof. Single-ply PVC membrane roofing, for instance, offers many years, actually decades, of maintenance free protection from our weather, well before a replacement roof needs to be considered.
This kind of flat roofing has been specially built to make a dimensionally stable waterproof roofing which is unaffected by extension and contraction in the way asphalt is.
The materials give full assurance in outrageous temperatures, which is the reason this style of flat roofing is ever so popular around the world from Saudi Arabia to Antarctica. What’s more, not at all like conventional flat roofs, the membrane is a solitary layer installation which lessens the weight on the roof structure all in all.
Unfortunately if your asphalt flat roof was installed around 10 years ago, it’s now possible tell tale signs of ageing are appearing. If you were keen at regularly maintaining your asphalt roof, it is more than likely you will add to its life. Eventually you will need a replacement though.
Below are tell tale signs which demonstrate that your roof is achieving its expiry date:
Alligatoring: Asphalt loses its versatility after some time and this can cause boundless splitting and cracking which resembles a crocodile’s skin. The life expectancy can be extended though by applying a special coating offering UV protection however this would need to be applied well before cracks started emerging.
Roof Seam Failure: Traditional roofs are installed with numerous layers and usually weaknesses can be found in the seams through aged related wear and tear. The joint areas can also separate from expansion and contraction.
Buckle in membrane: Older-style flat roofs contain a mesh reinforcement which has been soaked in asphalt. Once the roof starts to age, the mesh begins to deteriorate by buckling. This can cause available over time.
Membrane pull out: When the mesh reinforcement starts to break down, this can make the roof contract which then can weaken the stability of the membrane. Once the membrane begins to pull away from the flashing, this is when leaks can start to occur.
No top coating: It has been known for the top coat to be blown off during gale winds, this is then exposing the undercoat and inner layers, which results in damage from both the wind and the rain. A leak is usually the outcome from the top coat being blown off.
In the event that you see any of the signs above on your flat roof, please do not hesitate to call out a reputable flat roofing engineer to carry out an essential maintenance check. An decaying flat roof can often be repaired if the problems are seen early enough, however though owners of flat roofs should always be prepared to replace their asphalt roof with the modern materials of today, which will ensure greater peace of mind in the long term.
