Power Tools

I have learned from experience that locating a leak in a flat roof can be very difficult and expensive. In our home it took three different roofers, making multiple visits, to identify the point in our flat roof that a leak was coming from. The reason why pin-pointing leaks in flat roofs is troublesome is that very often the point where the leak shows in the ceiling below can be quite different from the point at which the leak is occurring in the flat roof itself.

The first places to look for leaks on a flat roof are flashing and joints or seals of any kind. Now, flashings are used at the point at which the roof joins adjacent non-roofing material such as brickwork. As an example above our kitchen extension we have a parapet wall that is at one edge of the roof and flashing closes the gap between the roof and the wall.

As described at flat roofing, a competent roofer will first examine these flashings to identify gaps through which water could perhaps pass. Flashings are typically made of a metal material like lead .

It is also usually a problem to test for leaks on a flat roof in the way you would on other types of roofs. The reason is because it could take hours for water to trickle down to the ceiling from the moment you pour it on a suspect area on the roof. This means that in practical reality it’s rather hard to test and then track multiple suspect places on the roof. This is covered in more detail at the epdm roofing site.

The key to effective flat roof repair is to know in advance the areas that are likely to be vulnerable. The best test alas is to carry out the work to close suspect gaps and then wait to see if the leak persists. Thus flat roof repair depends greatly on the intelligence, honesty and experience of the roofer you hire.