Flat Roof Repair, Step by Step

Any leak in a roof can quickly result in major damage to your home. A leak in a flat roof will do even more damage. Even for simple fixes, and always when roof repair has to be financed by homeowner's insurance, New Jersey flat roof repair requires professional support. 

In this article, we'll explain what Bergen County NJ roofers do to repair flat roof problems step by step.

Flat roof repair starts with locating the leak

It's easier to find a leak on a flat roof than it is to find a leak on a sloping, shingled roof. But if you are trying to do do-it-yourself (IY) roof repair, locating the leak may be harder than you might expect.

That's because the place you first notice water damage may not be directly beneath the leak. Water penetrating the membrane of your flat roof may travel across your roof until it runs into a seam in the roof deck or the sheathing, it finds a crack around HVAC or plumbing fixtures, or runs around a skylight. Then it leaks or drips inside. 

The water damage you see inside your home usually isn't directly beneath the leak.

DIY repairs to every kind of flat roof material are possible, but not always advisable

If you live in Bergen County and you have a flat roof, it's probably made from one of these materials.

• BUR, or built-up roofing. This material is also known as tar and gravel roofing. It's made from layers of bitumen and gravel reinforced by fabric.
• EPDM, also known as rubber roofing. This flat roofing material is made from ethylene and polyethylene, like the tires on your car. One of the biggest manufacturers of EPDM in the USA is Firestone.
• Modified bitumen. This is asphalt combined with different kinds of rubber and solvents applied with heat from a torch as the roof is installed.
• PVC. This roofing material uses not one but two layers of PVC with a layer of polyester in between them. There are chemical additives to make the PVC product sheer-resistant and resistant to UV light.
• TPO. This is single-ply polyethylene and rubber that is coated with a white reflective membrane.

If you don't mind climbing up on your roof, you have a safety harness, and you are handy with scoop shovels, pry bars, roof snakes, carpenter's bars, and hot air welders, you can do your own flat roof repair. If you are not, you will be better off hiring a roofer.

Your flat roof probably came with a 5- to 25-year warranty. In many cases, flat roof repair will be covered by your warranty or your insurance. Experienced Roof Installation professionals suggest homeowners to schedule regular inspections to catch minor issues before they escalate. This proactive approach can help *extend the life of your flat roof* while keeping repair costs manageable.

Repair or replace?

The reality is, roofing contractors make more money by replacing a roof than they make by repairing it. They will usually try to convince you that any repair to your roof is just a quick fix, and in the meantime water may be seeping in and causing wood rot and mold.

You don't need a roof replacement if:

• Your roof is in generally good condition.
• You had hail damage, not wind damage.
• The area that was damaged is small and easily covered.

However, if your flat roof is more than 12 to 15 years old, and there are multiple leaks, or there is a gap between the roof and the gutter, it is usually time to consider roof replacement. If the initial installation wasn't done right, you will need to replace your roof sooner. Easy repairs like liquid roof won't give you more than a few months.

Sometimes, even honest professionals cannot save your roof. Replacing your roof is expensive, but the cost of mold and wood rot inside your home is higher.