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AgostoMortal 06-28-2011 10:20 PM

Flat Roof Puddles and Leak help!
HI, I am relatively new homeowner and I have 3 areas of my house with flat roof. All of them have ponding water issues. I have now a very small leak on one of them. (I haven't check on the roof for months, so the water must have been there for a long time) I had paid roofers to repair leaks on two of them and they did not took care of the puddles!. (the leak I have is on the one that wasn't repaired.
I am wondering if I can do the repairs (patches or whatever) myself for the time being, to stop the current leak, extend the life of the flat roof and also, if possible, take care of the "ponding" issues as well.
Here are some pictures. I actually went up and brushed the water and tree leaves away before taking the pictures. The first one, with the black center, is the one with the leak (over Family Room). You can see the second ponding area on the back of the picture on the other flat roof (master bedroom).
[IMG] Uploaded with[/IMG]
Thanks a lot!

slownsteady 06-29-2011 10:55 AM

Even a flat roof shouldn't be totally flat. The best answer is to correct the pitch just enough to let the water flow. It's not going to happen immediately but the leaking water will weaken the roof where the puddle is- the roof will sag just a little bit more and more water will collect there - which will make matters worse.

slownsteady 06-29-2011 10:59 AM

It is possible that the puddle reaches to that pipe that turns down into the house right next to it. That would be a prime suspect in allowing the leak.

nealtw 06-29-2011 12:25 PM

The puddles a created when the roof structure saggs over time. This could be fixed with building a slope but it will only be done at time of re-roofing.

AgostoMortal 06-29-2011 12:57 PM

The small leak is gone after I removed the water from the puddle above. The leak was/is directly below the center of the black stain, where the top material seems to be rotten or disintegrated a bit (when brushing you could see black little pieces going with the water). I don't think the leak gets below through the pipe though I may be wrong.
It seams that correcting the slope, so the water does not stay, requires re-roofing. The question is, for the time being, Can I fix (DIY) the black area? and after that, just go up often or after rain and brush the water away until I can re roof? Thanks guys!

slownsteady 06-29-2011 03:27 PM

"Holmes Inspection" covered a flat roof redo just a month or two ago. You might try to find the episode.

AgostoMortal 06-29-2011 05:01 PM

So that means that is possible to DIY or not?
Is that a TV show? I will try to find it off course and I will keep my research.

oldognewtrick 06-29-2011 06:18 PM

My suggestion would be to go to your local ABC Supply, ask them for their Mule Hide primmer and Elasticmeric coating. First pressure wash the area, put on the primmer and then top coat. You will only be able to correct for ponding areas when the area is torn off and re-roofed. This will get you some time, but is not a long term or permanent solution.

Roof systems are not advised to pond water. The definition of ponding water is, water that has not drained or evaporated 48 hours after a rain event.

AgostoMortal 06-29-2011 08:46 PM

is Mule Hide a brand name? my ABC Supply is Home Depot and they don't have it, nor is it on their online store. What is the generic name of the product I will be looking for?
is this primer and elasticmeric coting going to work on a aluminum coated flat roof?

oldognewtrick 06-30-2011 01:23 AM

Try looking here. yes it should work if you get all the loose debris off first.

ABC Store Results
