Prevent Snow Damage on Your Flat Roof

Flat roofs are commonly used for office or commercial units. As they are flat, they are prone to more weathering and damage than a pitched roof so they do need more maintenance and care, particularly if they have been neglected for some time.

Snow in particular presents a whole host of trouble for homeowners. If snowfall on your flat roof is a cause for concern, this blog post is for you. Minus temperatures, ice and heavy snowfall can be problematic for flat roofs. While snow can affect flat roofing structures, it can affect any type of roof, whether it’s flat or pitched, resulting in damage or premature aging.

There are many factors that will determine whether a flat roof can withstand snow and one of them is the quality of the workmanship and products when the roof was constructed. Heavy snowfall can be a significant weight on the structure of a flat roof but if they are properly constructed by a specialist flat roofing company they should be able to withstand adverse weather conditions.

Traditional flat roofing systems constructed many years ago with traditional felt don’t perform so well in cold temperatures. If you are experiencing problems with your flat roof you may find that it is made from the old style felt roof or it could be that the material is starting to fail and it needs replacement.

Flat roofs are prone to damage from snow and ice for a number of reasons. With a pitched roofing system, snow and ice rely on gravity to remove it from the surface of the roof. Heavy snowfall on flat roofs can create tiny puncture wounds in the material and over time this can result in the material starting to break down resulting in leaks and damage to the underlying timbers.

If you have noticed in the past few winters that your flat roof is starting to fail or it has been in place for a long time, it will definitely benefit from a refurbishment using a new material such as torch on felt, rubber roofing or fibreglass. These products are far superior than what they were and they will offer a much longer lifespan. A professionally installed flat roofing system will perform in any weather conditions and keep your property watertight and weatherproof. These roofing systems will be unaffected by changes in the weather. Don’t wait until your roof is leaking before you take action. Regular inspections will reduce damage and keep your roof properly maintained.