There are many chronic problems in the domestic housing and communal services. One of the typical and ubiquitous troubles is a roof leak in an apartment building. Because of what it can occur and what are the ways to eliminate it for various types of coatings - later in the article.
It is clear that the problem of leaks concerns the residents of the upper floors. But some of them never encounter this, some rarely, and for some, water drips from the ceiling almost constantly.
What could be the reason why the roof is leaking? It can be summed up in one sentence: violation of the roofing carpet. But it can happen in different ways.
But, in any case, until the real source of the troubles that Your roof is leaking - in most cases, repairs are useless, since the problem may not be solved immediately, but may reappear after a fairly short period of time.
Where is it flowing?
The search for damage begins with an analysis. According to the nature of the manifestation of leakage can be:
- Storm - which appear during rain, or some time after it
- Snowy - they appear during active snowmelt, however, they can also occur due to the thawing of the lower layer as a result of the heat exchange of snow with warmer roofing material
- "Dry" - occur in the warm and dry season. Caused by condensation in the roof space
- "Flickering" - appearing haphazardly, not with every precipitation, and depending on unknown factors. Can be caused by microcracks in the roofing material, or wind blowing precipitation under the roof overhang, improper parapet installation
The next step will be a physical search for places where the roof leaks. On a flat roof, this task is easier than on a pitched one - however, it is not always more successful.
First, it is necessary, for example, using a tape measure, to compare the place of the leak in the apartment on the top floor with the corresponding point on the roof.
Advice! You can get attached to a possible place of leakage with the help of landmarks - access wells, ventilation ducts, outlets for sewer pipes
If the damage at the corresponding point is visible to the naked eye, the cause may have been found. Perhaps - since flat roofs, usually covered with rolled materials, are rather insidious in this regard.
Under them, air bubbles can form, which subsequently burst, and begin to accumulate moisture, slowly transferring it to the floor slab.
Therefore, a patch on visible damage may not solve the problem - especially if the flaw was formed a long time ago. Water must have accumulated under the waterproofing.
On a pitched roof, the inspection begins from the attic - at the site of the alleged leak, they study the state of waterproofing, rafters, flooring and ceilings. The place where the roof leaks can be manifested by wet spots, signs of mold, rotting of wooden structures.
However, on roofs with sheet coverings, it is also not uncommon for water to flow down one or more neighboring places, going quite far from the place of leakage. Then an external inspection is carried out - on the outer side of the roof, the condition of the junctions of the roof slopes, the exits of various communications and the drainage system is checked.
The accumulation of leaves and other debris in these areas can often cause water to accumulate, which can seep into the joints. roofing material "reverse current".
What is the cause of occurrence?
In many cases, especially if the damage to the roof is chronic, it is very difficult to reliably determine its cause.
However, there is a certain standard set of factors that contribute to the fact that the roof is flowing, and a number of them can continue their impact on the repaired area, and quickly render it unusable.
Among them:
- Expiration date of roofing material
- Mechanical damage during the performance of any work
- Damage to the protective layer of the roofing material during snow removal, further causing its corrosion
- Violation of roofing technology
- Exposure to moisture and ultraviolet light
- Wind effects on sheet materials of the coating, their bending and tearing
- High (both from sunlight and from ventilation ducts or chimneys) or low temperatures. The latter reduce the elasticity of rolled materials, and when parts of the building move, they burst
- If a lawn is arranged on a flat roof, roofing, with the wrong equipment. Can be damaged by plant roots
Advice! Residents of the upper floors, especially if they know that the roof has not been repaired for a long time, and may be in a pre-emergency condition, it is worth disturbing the housing maintenance office for a scheduled inspection. Given the frequent neglect of service organizations in their duties, it is advisable to monitor their actions. A scheduled inspection of the roof should be carried out twice a year - in the spring, after the end of the snowmelt, and in the fall - before the start of the winter season. The problem is easier to prevent before the potential danger turns into real damage.
How to repair?
Naturally, the order of repair depends on the scale of damage, and on their nature, and on the material of the roof.If the roof is made of bituminous materials, two options are possible: local repairs and major ones.
The first is carried out on relatively fresh coatings, where the main part of the roof has retained normal performance.
As a rule, a piece of roofing is cut out around the damage site with an indent of at least half a meter. The resulting "spot" is filled with polymer mastic or liquid rubber.
If the coating has lost its elasticity, no patching will help here, leaks will occur regularly, and in different places. In such cases, only a complete replacement of the roofing carpet saves, with the old coating being cleaned to the ground.
Roofs made of various types of tiles usually suffer from cracking as a result of thermal deformation (expansion) at the junction with various roof elements.
Before roof repair it is necessary to remove the damaged part, and strengthen the supporting structure - strengthen the rafters by connecting them, as well as the crate, in order to exclude the possibility of moving the tiles.
Roofs made of sheet materials are mostly subject to the same problems.
They are solved as follows:
- Significant damage to the sheet - its complete replacement, in accordance with the relevant technology
- Spot damage: for metal sheets - soldering followed by sealing with special polymer compounds, for slate - glass fiber patch sticker with a special waterproofing impregnation
- Leakage in places where fasteners are located. As a rule, it is formed due to poor-quality gaskets, less often due to rusting of the nail head or self-tapping screw itself. A broken part needs to be replaced.However, this is usually a sign of the use of low-quality components, so you should prepare for the fact that the problem will become regular. It is better to replace all fasteners in advance.
It is clear that the elimination of roof leaks is possible even in the most severe cases. However, this occupation is laborious, and the “drops” from the ceiling are unlikely to please the residents.
Therefore, two basic rules should always be observed: monitor the proper arrangement of the roof, and then regularly monitor its condition.
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