Recognising your flat roof is leaking
There are many ways to detect that you have a leak in your flat roof. One of the easiest ways to do so is to check the room directly below. Usually you will find that the water isn’t running through in the same place as it seems to appear from on the roof. This is down to the fact that the water will find its way through the top layer and then fall through gaps in layers below. It is one thing recognising that you have a leak in your flat roof but it is another thing determining what the problem is. There is no point shelling out money to repair your roof when you’re not exactly sure where the leak is coming from. The first thing I would advise you to do is check the joints and corners of your roof. You may find that some cracking is appearing. It’s not just the joints and corners either; check around your chimney, ventilation silts and roof lights. Any of these faults are down to a poorly designed flat roof. Usually you will find that some of the roof nails have been missed out, rusted or fallen out with time. This is almost certainly the reason that your roof is leaking; along with this you should check that your gutter has not become blocked or punctured. Another thing you need to do is check that there are no visible puddles or ‘ponds’ building up on your roof. Anything over 25mm means that you have a problem. If you notice any plants growing on your flat roof you probably have a leak. Sometimes you will not be able to detect the problem causing your flat roof to leak, however calling in a specialist will help. They will be able to use some specialist tools and equipment to discover the cause of the leak; such as endoscopes and electronic detection.
Repairing your flat roof
When it comes to repairing your flat roof it is always a good idea to check the weather forecast a few days in advance. The last thing you want is to be repairing a leaking area while rain is falling. It just makes the job twice as difficult. Along with this you should also wait until you have had a few days of dry weather, this allows the felt on your flat roof to fully dry out. As far as simple repairs go you can go down to your local DIY store and purchase repair kits for your flat roof.
These kits won’t cost a great deal and will contain adhesive and tape for making your repairs. You should think about the extent of damage that your roof has before deciding on using a simple DIY repair kit. I say this because if your roof has deteriorated somewhat you may end up making these repairs on a regular basis. You can in fact install a new overlay to your flat roof. This should be done when there is visible damage to your roofs waterproof protection or ‘membrane’.
You can simply install a new membrane over the old one and add a layer of insulation for protection too. The repairs you do depend really on how long you intend on staying in the home. For example if this is the home you and your family plan on spending the rest of your lives in then you should maybe look for a full roof renovation, contact a local contractor to find out what the best move is for you.
