6 Common Roofing Problems: Prevention and Remedies
Almost every item in this world is prone to wear and tear and eventual damage, and your roof is no exception. Forget the entire long span and everlasting claims by manufacturers, your roof can become damaged within a very short time due to some natural and environmental causes which is no fault of yours or the manufacturers.
Here are six common roofing problems and how you can prevent them or tackle them if you are already experiencing them.
1. Punctured Roofs
Roof punctures may happen as a result of the carelessness of an unprofessional roofing contractor, sharp objects or tools falling on the surface of your roof, and holes and cuts from removing HVAC panels.
You can avoid having a punctured roof especially during installation by making sure that you hire experienced professionals to carry out the installation of your roofing.
If it’s already too late to prevent it, you can also have a professional mend the membrane around the puncture. It would be cleaned, primed and patched so that the leaking would stop entirely.
2. Leaking Roofs
Leaking roofs can be caused by a number of factors. It could be due to moisture intrusion, lack of proper maintenance, heavy foot traffic on the roof, as well as poor installation or installation materials.
You can prevent leaking roofs by carrying out regular professional maintenance of the roof, but if your roof is already leaking, you need to get quotes from local roofers who would help you determine the cause of the water leakage and carry out immediate repairs.
3. Ponding Water
This is yet another common roofing problem. This is when water collects on your roof due to a number of factors including lack of roof scope, poor roofing design, clogged drains, inadequate drain sumps and obstructions on the drainage path.
Heavy roof installation or repair equipment might also cause ponding water eventually.
Water collection on the roof in itself is not a problem but when water stays for more than 48 hours on the roof, it promotes the growth of microorganisms, causes slippery roofs, promotes debris collection and of course, premature aging of the roof.
Annual roof inspections and regular cleaning and maintenance would help to prevent this problem while repair solutions may include improving roofing design, installing drainage mechanisms and adding tapered insulation to the roof.
4. Pitch Pocket Problems
Pitch Pockets are a type of roof flashing used to seal penetrations. When the sealer dries out and shrinks, the pitch pocket may fail. Poor installation and structural movements may also cause the pitch pocket to fail.
Refilling the sealer regularly can help to prevent this problem, but if the metal is completely corroded, your roofing contractor would have to remove it and install new pitch pockets.
5. Roof Shrinkage
This is caused by aging materials, UV exposure, and poor Installation. A shrinking roof can lead to moisture leakage and penetrations. To repair a shrinking roof, the affected curbs and flashing would have to be replaced.
6. Alligatoring
Alligatoring is characterized by small splits on the surface of the roof due to heat and exposure to ultraviolet rays.
Alligatoring could cause premature failure in your roofing system and cause large leaks to occur. You can prevent alligatoring by using reflective roof coating or a UV protectant on your roof. But if your roof already has this problem, you would need to invite roofing contractors to remove and patch the damaged area.
In conclusion, to prolong the lifespan of your roof and prevent damages and incessant repairs, you need professional roofing contractors to handle installation, maintenance and repairs at all times. This gives you a lot of benefits , top of which is helping you avoid future damages and costly repairs.
