Guide To Winterizing Your Flat Roof
There were many misconceptions about flat roofs: expensive, hard to maintain, prone to leaks, and many more. Although none of these is true, flat roofs still need proper maintenance to ensure that they would withstand any damaging elements such as harsh weather conditions. Winter is one of the seasons that homeowners need to be cautious of. Snow accumulated on your roof, sloped or flat, is a potential cause of water leak and structure degradation. This is why commercial roofers in Tampa Bay make sure that flat roofs in commercial spaces are provided with the best care during winter by doing things even before the winter sets in.
As a homeowner, you need to do things to avoid snow damaging your flat roof. Although it is a wrong assumption that flat roofs are prone to water pooling, they can still accommodate water that will lead to leaks, if not given the proper care and preparation for winter.
Bowing and ponding are two main roof problems that are caused by winter. Bowing happens when the snow starts accumulating on the roof and weight starts to develop stress on the roof. When snow is not removed after every winter, this will cause the roof to get sagged out of weight and water. The sagging results the ponding. What makes this worse is not only the roof is affected by these, your HVAC will also have some problems too.
Water is the worst enemy in any house structure. Unfortunately, when the snow melts, water will always be existent as the result. If your flat roof does not have proper drainage, this can result in a lot of problems. When the snow melts and gets into the roofing system, you will not notice any leaks. Leaks come gradually and you will only notice them when there are visible leak marks or when you experience issues with your installation and a surge on the energy bill. Leaking signs include watermarks on the ceiling and walls and puddles on the floor. This is why it is important to check your roof immediately after winter and remove snow immediately.
Flat roofs are commonly structured to withstand snow and water leaks for a long time, probably because most people think that their flat surface makes them prone to water damages. The truth is, contractors and engineers, see to it that all roofs are sturdy against weather conditions especially winter. So, your flat roof is as sturdy as other roofing types. However, it is important to take note that as a homeowner, we still have an important role to play.
Besides a thorough inspection by a professional company, we can do a little repair that will prevent further damage such as little sealing and caulking. We also need to ensure that our insulation is not damaged and that our gutters are not blocked. Flat roofs are easier to access than sloped ropes so cleaning and maintaining will not be as difficult as those of the sloped roofs.
Caution: While flat roofs are easy to access, it is still advised to call a professional company for repairs, no matter how small the issues are to avoid accidents.
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