Flat Roof Wrinkles
What Are Roof Wrinkles?
Roof wrinkles are areas of your roof When you see wrinkles on your roof, it may be a sign of undue stress that could cause premature failures, such as opening of overlaps, abrasion of the raised surface, and ponding of water.
What Causes Wrinkles in My Roof?
Wrinkles are a very common occurrence and don’t always mean you need a roof repair or replacement. When you call AA Brite 24/7 for your free inspection we’ll take a look to see if your wrinkles are concerning or if they could result in a roof failure.
Common causes of roof wrinkles include:
- Insulation shrinkage
- Poor tightening during installation
- Failed adhesion
- Wind damage
- Trapped moisture
What do roof wrinkles look like?
Shown below are a multiple photos of flat roof wrinkles.
The brown stains are where the water ponds up when it rains. The wrinkle is circled in red. This particular wrinkle is not worrying me. If it doesn’t have fiber tape added on top of the wrinkle to support it, then just keep an eye on it.
These wrinkles don’t cause me great concern. I did have a roof coating manufacturer’s rep look at this roof and several others. Their opinion is a little more harsh than mine, and it’s easy to say tear it off and start over. There is no liability at all for them to go the most conservative route. If this was my roof I could get another twenty years out of it with preventative maintenance and a new coat every four years or so.
The red circles show what your looking for on the top of wrinkles that are going to the next – bad – step. If you click on the picture and enlarge it you can see where the wrinkles have cracked. These need to be taped and patched now.
Another roof the coating manufacturer said this roof needed to be torn off and re-done. It was improperly installed about 10 years ago and not enough tar was used to hold/glue it down to the plywood. In some spots you can feel the paper floating over the plywood as you step on it. It feels like stepping on cardboard that’s bowed up a little bit. There is a kind of pop sound and you can feel it move down a little in certain spots as you walk across it. The reason I don’t believe this needs to be torn off is of the very small likelihood of the wind getting under it and flipping the tar paper over. On a house with eves its common for a roof in great condition to flip up like a bed-sheet if the wind is blowing strong enough. I’ve NEVER seen this happen on roof with parapets (walls) around the edges. In other words if you can easily afford it and want the absolute minimum risk, then definitely tear it off and get a new one installed. If it were my parents or brothers house I’d tell them to keep an eye on it and with maintenance it will most likely not be a problem.
What should I do if I notice wrinkles on my roof?
If you notice any wrinkling on your roof give AA Brite 24/7 a call today! We will come by for a free inspection to let you know if the wrinkles on your roof are a real cause for concern or if they can be repaired and maintained – saving you money in the long run!