Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Roofing: Recover or Replace? (Part 2 - Repairing Roofs)

Repairing Roofs

Repairing an existing roof membrane or replacing sections or parts of a roofing system become difficult to justify if the deterioration leading to the need for a repair is due to long-term exposure to the elements or the advanced age of the roof.

If the deterioration is extensive, the application of a maintenance coating will rarely solve the problem. Replacing deteriorated base flashings or pitch pockets may eliminate a specific source of water intrusion, but the extensive replacement of isolated components will rarely be cost effective. Also, the interface of the new repair elements with the old deteriorated roof membrane is difficult to perform with a consistent level of quality.

If the source of water infiltration is identified incorrectly, the roof may be repaired pointlessly several times in an attempt to find the location of the leak. As the roof leaks continue, more interior finishes will be damaged, and the cost for repairs will escalate.

If the roof is leaking because the existing system is aged, it will be just a matter of time before the entire system will need to be replaced. In those cases, the cost of the temporary solutions may not be justifiable; the money would be better spent recovering or replacing the roof.

Tomorrow we will discuss investigating moisture. Please check back to continue following this 5-part blog series.

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1 comment:

  1. Not sure that I always agree with this Randy. Sometimes we have been very effective making repairs to older rubber roofs that used the old adhesive seams. The rubber holds up very well, but the seams came apart. With some extensive repairs, these roofs can still perform well for years. What you say is very true for the old built-up roofs though.

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