Repairs Your EPDM Roofing Membrane Might Need
It's important to keep up with flat roofing repairs so you can prevent a roof leak. A common problem with roofing membranes for flat roofs is punctures. Another problem that might occur is water collecting in a low area of the roof. These problems can be fixed no matter what kind of membrane roof you have, even a rubber roof. Here's a look at how a commercial flat roofing repair contractor might handle these problems on your EPDM roofing membrane.
Patch A Puncture Hole
The first step is to clean around the puncture hole to remove the surface film so the patch will stick. Then the roofer prepares a patch that's large enough to cover the hole and have some extra room around the edges for the adhesive to stick.
It's important to use repair materials made for EPDM roofing. Rubber isn't compatible with some repair products, such as asphalt. If an asphalt product is used, the repairs may fail. There are two types of repair methods for EPDM roofing. One uses an adhesive to hold the patch in place and the other is a peel-and-stick patch.
Once the patch is in place, the roofer presses it down with a roller a few times to make sure the adhesive forms a strong bond.
Fill A Sunken Area
If water puddles in a certain area of your roof, the roofer will check for the cause of the problem. The issue could be a sagging deck due to water damage from a leak in the EPDM membrane. If the deck is sagging, moldy, or rotted, it has to be replaced. Replacing the sagging section with new materials might be enough to fix the water ponding problem.
If not, your commercial flat roof contractor can build up the sunken area so water rolls toward the drain. They have experience with this problem since flat roofs are so common on commercial buildings. They might use a compound to build up the roof area or build it up with rubber roofing material. They'll test the slope and make sure the problem isn't caused by a blocked roof drain or something on the roof that's blocking the flow of water.
Rubber roofing is a durable material that will protect your commercial roof for a long time, but punctures will happen occasionally. A contractor might drop a tool on the membrane or step on something sharp that punctures the rubber. If you hire a commercial flat roofing repair contractor to check the roof periodically, you can keep up with repairing minor problems that could lead to big problems if not caught in time.
Contact a roofing company, such as Atlas Exteriors, for more information.