Common Roof Component Issues

Composition shingles: curling, loss of granulation, broken, damaged or missing shingles
Wood shingles/shakes: Mold or decay, splitting or curling
Flat roof: Obvious patches, cracks or tears, several blisters and/or wrinkles (also check patched               areas from inside the attic)
Flashing: Tears, buckling around roof penetrations
Roofing cement: Excess cement, crumbling
Soffits and fascia: Decay, stains
Soffit and ridge vents: Clogged or damaged vents, flashing and shingles around them                   curling or missing
Gutters: Decay or rust, leaky seams, loosely attached to structure, bent or sagging, missing                     Sections of gutter or downspout, filled with debris. Clogged gutters can easily freeze shut                     and cause excessive weight on gutter fasteners, ice dam conditions, and slippery walks below.
Chimneys: Leaning, loose or missing flashing, damaged bricks, cap or cracked joints. Chimney           Flashing is especially prone to tearing because a chimney settles independently from the house.

Commercial Flat Roof Repair 

Although flat roofs aren't technically flat, the low-slope is at greater risk of wind uplift, sun degradation and ponding as opposed to their pitched roof counterpart. It is absolutely essential for prompt repair to flat roofs to reduce the risk of leaks and further possible structural damage. A comprehensive flat roof repair plan that includes routine inspections, leak-detection, detailed reporting and speedy repair, will extend the useful life of your low-slope roof by five or more years.



Plan a Repair Checklist

A flat roof repair plan that is effective, starts with a thorough inspection of the roof conditions. Water puddles, coating deterioration and staining that are present more than 48 hours after precipitation, is a good indication that there might be a problem. Seals should be inspected for deterioration and voids . All penetrations including HVAC units, drains, skylights, gutters and scuppers are of special concern and require extra attention when doing repairs.

Spotting damage on your roof that could create leaks

It is important to locate at risk areas before the leak occurs. Finding roof-hail-damage that could cause a roof leak can be difficult because often the actual spot where the roof leaks is not always exactly where the water stains are appearing on your ceiling. Water seeks the lowest point and because of this it may penetrate at one point, then run down to another before visible signs of damage appear as a stain on your ceiling. It’s sometimes easy to spot obvious roof damage (shrinkage or tearing might be present, or you see stains on ceilings or walls), but by then, you probably already have some significant water damage. Your best bet is to find the roof damage before the leaks appear.

Identifying Damage on Your Roof ahead of the leak

Start with an outdoor inspection.
An up close visual inspection will help pinpoint damaged areas in need of repair (Poorly adhered EPDM may roll or buckle, flashing could be cracked, seams tear and Equipment and foot traffic are possible puncture points). When damage is localized, (meaning less than 30 percent) repairs should address the problem effectively. Extensive damage, (Greater than 30 percent) could necessitate entire roof replacement. It is important to keep in mind,in addition to shrinkage, flashing, vent pipes/penetrations, gutters and fencing could be damaged also. As such, a good inspectin of these things will be in order as well. If you suspect that your roof is damaged, Call Marcus Anthony Construction to meet with our qualified specialists to work with you insurance carrier and minimize or eliminate out of pocket expenses for your roof repair today

Common EPDM Damage Hartford County

Common damaging factors to an EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubber roof system. 

Flashing Embrittlement

This is mostly seen on older installations in and around West Hartford. instead of cured (vulcanized) EPDM, as used today, an older roof will have uncured neoprene wall flashing. Early on it was believed that the uncured neoprene would conform to shapes, vulcanizing over time with exposure to heat and sunlight. However, what actually occurs is craze-crack, which appears as random cracking. Also know as alligatoring.  

Membrane Shrinkage

Membrane shrinkage is a common problem in West Hartford even with recent installations. This can result in tenting at terminations, and wrinkling at penetrations. It may pull flashing loose or cause craze-cracking. Shrinkage can also cause tears and stress to the seams.

The correction is to cut the membrane, let it adjust, and then patch it with a strip of EPDM. This is not something that can be done by a homeowner.

Weather 

Fallen branches that results in tearing or freezing temperatures cause premature shrinkage and
cracking that can be a rather unexpected expense to handle
When nature has taken it's toll and inspection or repairs may be needed, our professional team will go to work for you making a full inspection report and work directly with your insurance company to negotiate the covered damages and ensure your best options are met

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These are just a couple of examples of the common repair issues addressed by our professionals at Marcus Anthony Construction. Proper annual inspections by qualified professionals will help increase the life of your EPDM roof while maintaining the manufacturer's warranty, and make unexpected out of pocket roof repair expenses a thing of the past. Call us at 860-856-7146 for your inspection today

ICE DAMS: Continuing Annual Damage in East Hartford

AS the days get shorter in Hartford County and temperatures dip lower, precipitation, even the slightest amount, including heavy dewfall and fog, are contributing to consistent, continuing
damage on your roof called ICE DAM. Left unchecked, ICE DAMS will cause costly structural damage to the home you love. These damages can go unseen and/or unrecognized for a long time furthering damages, resulting in even more expensive repairs. 

When precipitation collects, cold temperatures cause  ice to form and the warm air rising from within the home melt the ice against the surface of the roof allowing resulting water to seep. Cold temps then refreeze the water and cause a build up of ice along an already weakened (usually asphalt shingle) barrier degregating the integrity of the roof. Over time the water seepage results in saturation of batted insulation that leads to formation of very unhealthy MOLD, Left unabated, mold will simultaneously cause structural damage to occur in the form of ROT, This rot will very quickly degredate the structural integrity of the largest investment you will ever make, YOUR HOME!

Get ahead of costly damage!

Have your roof inspected by a qualified professional today! We put our name on your roof! At Marcus Anthony Construction, we stand behind our recommendations and will work directly with your insurance company to negotiate your covered losses and provide you with a new, worry free roof for years to come.