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Standing Water on a Flat Roof

Standing Water on a Flat Roof

Having some standing water on a roof can be so stressful. How much more when the type of roof that you have at the moment is a flat one?

Roofer Cincinnati

Occasional minor ponding on a roof doesn’t really create big problems. However, standing water that stays for more than two days can be very problematic for the roof membrane. This is very serious because it can void your roof’s warranty with no excuses.

Ponding (regardless if it’s a major or a minor problem) can deteriorate the roof’s membrane and shorten its expected lifespan. A ponding problem that has been ignore for so long and not being attended to immediately would be a great expense for you in the future.

Generally, no matter what kind of roofing system you have at this very moment, having standing water is just a stress for you as a homeowner .

Possible Damages That Might Happen

Though a small pond on your rooftop may not seem harmful, if left alone, it can cause severe and costly damage to your flat roof. Here are some possible things that might happen.

  • Ponding water can magnify UV rays, which speeds up the damage caused.
  • Due to the ponding water’s weight, your flat roof can experience a sag. This will seriously weaken its quality.
  • Algae and moss formations are common issues that are found in areas where ponding is rampant.
  • Due to the worsening situation that is caused by the algae growth, magnified UV rays, and the weakening of the roof membrane, leaks can become a major issue.
  • As your roofing membrane is weakened, and leaks will start, the structural integrity of your flat roof may become compromised. This results in many risks, including a full or partial collapse. Do not let this happen to you.

 

When is Standing Water Too Much for Your Building

As most commercial building owners and managers are aware, what appears to be a flat roof on a commercial building is not literally flat. The slope of a low-slope roof is very gradual and not noticeable to the eye. In fact, the minimum required slope ratio is usually ¼:12. This means the surface of the roof system will slope, at a minimum of ¼ of an inch (or ¼ of a unit), for every 12 inches (or 12 units) in length.

If a specific building’s roof deck or substrate does not meet the required ¼:12 slopes, there is a chance that your roofing contractor would have into installing a tapered insulation system. This makes a slope and produces a condition called positive drainage. Its purpose is to completely take away any standing or ponding water on the roof membrane. As a way to keep the roof’s warranty, building owners or caretakers must reach out to a professional roofing contractor to eliminate the standing water soonest within the span of 48 hours. This is based on the guidelines by the National Roofing Contractor Association or NRCA.

Remember that you only have at least 48 hours to dry or drain the standing water that is on your flat roof. If not being attended to immediately, your warranty is completely void. This is why you must make it a priority to at least double-check on your flat roof for any size of ponding water that you can find.

Solution

We honestly can’t think of a better solution than to reach out to a reliable roofing contractor that would help you design a low-slope roof properly or assist you in eliminating the standing water without damaging your flat roof and voiding the warranty.

As the owner of the building, it is your responsibility to check and immediately contact your roofer so that the situation of ponding water will be addressed immediately. Remember that the longer the delay of the actions, the bigger chance that the problems would get worse. The problematic one of all is when your flat roof’s warranty turns void, and it would be too expensive now to replace it.

Contact Your Contractor Today

We honestly can’t think of a better solution than to reach out to a reliable roofing contractor that would help you on all the roofing problems that you will face. We are happy to let you know that Half Price Roof has a professional roof contracting team that has many experiences on different types of roofs.

We have a very dedicated roofing contracting team that is available at any time of every season of every year to assist you for all your roofing needs. We have been in the industry for years, and we have a dedicated roofing team with decades of roofing experience under their belts. It’s time that you stop doing all the work yourself and get the most effective roofing solutions as soon as possible.

Now is the time that you stop worrying about your roofs and leave it to the experts. Be complete and stress-free when you reach out to Half Price Roof. For more information about our products and services and what we can do for your home or commercial building, feel free to give us a call today.