Thursday, September 26, 2013

Torching a Flat Roof With Roofer Mike in Miami


The infamous Miami-Dade tin-cap pattern


Flat roofing project in Miami Springs, FL.
Tear off, dry in & torch - one motion

I was all over this flat roof project in Miami Springs as it posed some serious problems and I wanted to make sure it was done right.


This flat roof had a huge ponding area in the middle of its L shape and also on each of three other connected additions as well. Because there were four separate ponding areas on one flat roof I advised the owner not to attempt correcting them with insulation as the previous roofers had attempted - what a mess. Building up one area only created a problem in another. This called for drastic measures. The additions caused the original flat roof to be the low spot into which they all drained. Therefore, a retrofit drain would be the only real solution. 


Drastic But Simple Roofing System

To achieve 100% positive drainage tapered insulation would have been built up at least 4-5 inches to drain this roof and would have cost the client a fortune. We installed two layers of Gafglas #75 base sheet and torched a ply of GAF Ruberoid torch granule for the cap - a simple, effective and moderately priced base roofing system.

When it quits raining in another couple months we'll install that retrofit drain at the deepest spot and apply a solvent-based Sealoflex application to the whole thing. It'll be fine . .


Update 7/8/2017
Roofer Mike on Flat Roof in Miami Springs
Roofer Mike Staying Sharp!
Sealoflex is a fine system for its price range but the new King of roof coatings is GACO ROOF since it became MDC approved for residential BURs over wood decks. It previously was approved for commercial applications on sprayed polyurethane systems. It is the only elastomeric roof coating to offer a warranty against permanent ponding water. Excessive ponding is defined by Miami-Dade County as any water still standing 48 hours after it rains. BTW, that is a 50-year warranty, people!


Ran into the client for this project and he is pleased. The only thing that made me nervous about this one was the drain. A retrofit in-roof drain requires plumbing to install the PVC pipe in the roof structure and run it out to the roof's edge. I highly suggest the hiring of a plumber for this critical part of an otherwise simple solution to a ponding problem.









3 comments:

Eleven said...

Thanks for sharing !
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bob said...

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Donny Creed said...

Great job on tackling the flat roofing challenges! Thanks for sharing the experience, adding visuals to showcase your process and results for better engagement could be more exciting.