Understand Why Roof Leaks Arise
More often than not, roof maintenance is not thought about until a leak has already developed. The problem with this is that by the time a leak is apparent, the damage is much more difficult and costly to repair. Therefore, knowing a little about what causes leaks to develop can be a real help in stopping the issue before it becomes serious, and can save property owners a lot of money in the long-run.
To better understand roof leaks, it is first necessary to describe the most common type of roof – the built up asphalt roof. The built up asphalt roof is made up of 3-4 layers of asphalt sheeting bonded together with hot mopped tar that ideally form a waterproof barrier. The top layer of asphalt sheeting will have had a fine mineral granule embedded into it. The purpose of the mineral being to act as a barrier between the weather and the asphalt below it.
The service life of a typical built-up asphalt roof is about 8 to 10 years. Regular maintenance is required during this time, as areas such as roof vents, vent pipes and skylights are susceptible to becoming un-sealed. The normal maintenance for these areas involves the application of plasticized cold asphalt. The problem with these treatments, along with other petroleum based roofing products, is that they rapidly out-gas into the atmosphere over the course of a few years. What is left behind is brittle, non-flexible and most often permeable by moisture.
When this happens, the protective mineral barrier on the top layer starts to come off. As the asphalt starts to becomes exposed, it is subjected to UV rays from the sun, and general wear and tear from other types of weather, such as rain, hail and snow. This causes the breakdown of the asphalt to be accelerated; not just the top layer, but those under it too. It is shortly after this point that property owners will begin to discover all is not well with their roof.
So, how what pro-active action can home and business owners undertake? Firstly, it is advisable for them to perform an annual inspection of the roof and coating. Secondly, they should regularly (every 12-18 months) apply a non-petroleum based protective treatment, which will prevent the need for any wide reaching repairs suddenly arising.
If a leak has already led to the need for expensive repairs to be carried out, property owners may want to look at using modern durable and energy saving solar reflective roof coating systems. These offer a cost effective solution and require much lower levels of ongoing maintenance.
This article was written by a builder, with over 35 years experience. He is currently working in Las Cruces, where he is building luxury homes, which you can learn more about here: Las Cruces Homes For Sale.
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Tags: diy, Home, Home Improvment, home repair, leaks, roof, roof leaks, roofing