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Roofing Problems: Understand What They Are And Why They Happen

Overflow or penetration of water, clogging of gutters or conductors, aging of tiles and damage caused by wind action are the most common type of roofing problem.

Any small flaw in the design or in the execution of roofs can cause enormous inconvenience to the entire building. Overflow or penetration of water, clogging of gutters or conductors, aging of tiles and damage caused by the action of the wind are some of the most common problems.

A large number of works suffer from these issues, which is explained by the deficiency in the preparation of professionals working in civil construction. Engineers and architects are not always fully trained in roofing. There are also higher education teachers who teach discipline, but who have never had practical experience.

On the other hand, having experience on the drawing boards and in the flowerbeds is not always enough. Every 50 or 100 years, natural phenomena occur that cause strong winds and rain. The professional who has been designing or building for 20 years will not know about these eventualities if he has not studied the subject, 

Water Leaks

It is common to hear that the roof is ‘leaking’ water, however, the term is used inappropriately. “Leakage is a phenomenon that occurs in hydraulic pipes. In the case of the roof, what usually happens is the overflow of water,” says the engineer. The situation is caused by the incorrect sizing of the gutter, which, if small, will not allow the large volume accumulated in storms to flow.

Another common situation occurs in roofs that were designed and executed correctly, but that, due to changes in the neighborhood, begin to present problems. “If the building is built on the boundary of the land and, on the other side, a tall building is raised, the combination of rain and wind causes water to run down the walls of the new development and fall into the gutter of the oldest building. This will cause the volume of water on the roof to increase and stay above what was initially calculated, causing the overflow”, details the expert.

Waterproofing

Waterproofing the roof should not be an option. We often see waterproofed roofs using an asphalt blanket. The solution can even stop water penetration, but it causes a more serious problem, which is the elimination of attic ventilation. As they are fitted on top of each other, the tiles keep a small gap through which the wind can enter and exit. In this circulation, the air carries out the heat that forms in the environment closest to the roof.

Gutters Or Conductor Clogging

The more water there is on the roof, the greater the possibility of accumulation of foreign objects. If the building is surrounded by tall buildings, there is still a problem with neighbors throwing ‘unwittingly’ packages out of the window. The material ends up being stored on the smaller properties.

Many roof designs do not take into account the need to clean the gutters, which is a flaw. It is not uncommon for the property to have difficulties in accessing the roof to perform important periodic cleaning. The cleaning of the roof is a fundamental action to avoid the clogging of gutters and conductors, thus protecting the entire building in the long term.