Should Flat Roofs Have Puddles

The slope should be a minimum of 1 in 80 but in practice a minimum slope of 1 to 40 should be used to allow for deflection of the roof and for normal building tolerances.

Should flat roofs have puddles.

Flat roofs do not drain as effectively as pitched roofs. By lori lapierre by their very nature flat roofs do not completely drain after it rains. Ponding water is defined by roofers as water that stands in a puddle on the roof for longer than 48 hours. Some flat roofs can hold a small puddle of water here and there especially big roofs but if done to a good standard and the epdm up to scratch small puddles won t cause a problem.

For clarity flat roofs actually have a slight slope to allow rain water to drain off the roof but they seem flat when compared with more traditional steeply sloped roofs. Flat roofs should not have puddles. We can stop your flat roof having puddles now. As a result flat roofs are notorious for developing ponding water.

The design of a flat roof can sometimes prevent rain and precipitation water from draining properly making standing water a common problem. Not only in the long term can it cause structural damage from the weight of the puddles but in the short term the puddles may cause leaks. Long term effects of ignoring ponding water on a flat roof by ignoring long term ponding water on a commercial flat roof you increase the odds of having serious roofing problems. It s really depends how much water the roof is holding.

However puddles 1 or more inches deep that linger for days can indicate a significant problem with. Flat roofs should always have a slight pitch for quick drainage of rainwater but sunken areas that create puddles can appear from time to time. When these sunken areas appear it s important to examine the problem carefully and determine if it is related to structural damage. There can be a host of reasons why ponds of water may appear on your roof after bouts of rain so it s important to know what remedial action to take if your property is suffering.

They normally will have at least a inch to a foot slope and many roofers prefer more. If it s holding a lot of water this is not good amd firings should have been installed. A roof should not have puddles because roofs are not designed to hold the weight of a large amount of water.