Roofing Standing Water

Long term effects of ponding water on a flat roof.

Roofing standing water. If your commercial building has a flat roof sometimes there is a problem with ponding water. Having some standing water on a roof can be so stressful. Check the gutters for any backup of debris that could prevent water from draining properly. That can be extremely dangerous for your roof if too much water accumulates.

Residential and commercial roofing shingles slate roof ventilation roof underlayments asphaltic and tpo roof membranes. This is because the flat roof can hinder drainage from rainwater which results in standing water on the roof. Standing water is typically defined as a collection of water on a roof which hasn t drained within 48 hours after rainfall. Occasional minor ponding on a roof doesn t really create problems that much.

Ponding water isn t an immediate threat in fact roof membranes are made with the same material as pond liners so water penetration is unlikely. Standing water develops when your roof s surface formulate small channels or canals where rain pools. If this is the case there is a high chance that the ponding water will stay on the roof for a long period of time causing the collection of water to become bigger. The water will stick around on the roof thus adding weight and stress onto the surface.

Per inch per square foot of roof surface. Standing water will create the need for roof maintenance because a roof leak repair will be the order of the day when ponding persists. As old roofing surfaces wear out or curve it becomes harder for water to flow off of the roof. When can it damage the roof.

If water is backing onto the roof clean out the gutters to restore proper water flow. This is especially prevalent after a lot of rainstorms. Standing water weighs approximately 5 lbs. Ponding water accelerates roof system aging by.

A standing water area of only 10 by 10 and 1 deep is 200 total square feet and an additional live roof weight of 1 000 pounds. Water sitting on a roof will be there for an extended period and find a way into your roofing system that is a given. How much more when the type of roof that you have is a flat one. Over time however ponding water can lead to accelerated aging of the roof membrane.