What You Should Know about new roofs.
When purchasing a new roof of any type make sure you request in writing a detailed list of neccassary maintenance requirments to acheive the maximum life of the system your paying for.
Why? Because all roofing systems require some maintenance and most roofing contractors neglect to inform their clients of this so later when the system leaks they can void the warranty for the lack of required roof maintenance that you didnt know you needed.
The most common causes of roof system failure.
In the most common cases the flashing points of roof penetrations such as vents, pipes, HVAC units, duct work, expansion joints and parapet walls are the first place where a roofing system begins to fail and let moisture into the system, Also its not unusual for this problem to go unnoticed for some time because of the new standards in insulation properties it may take a week, month, or even a year for the moisture to become visible in the interior of a building So by the time a leak is noticed the roofing insulation has become saturated with moisture ( LIKE A SPONGE ) and collapses leaving a section or multiple sections of roof to pond water, become infected with mold spores, corrode or saturate the substrate decking, or in worse cases when left unserviced collapse and or deteriorate the substrate decking.
The aftermath.
The section or sections of roofing membrane, insulation, and possibly the substrate decking must be removed and replaced to properly remove moisture from the layers of roofing, Sounds expensive doesnt it ?
Situations like this happens more often then you think which is why when you get a roofing estimate for what seams to be just a small leak to you In fact has become a severe roofing system problem and leeds to much needed costly repairs that arent covered under normal warranties Manufactures or Contractors. Most clients dont believe that soo much damage can happen in such a short period of time especially when they recently installed a new roof and wind up frustrated with the amount of money they spent and now have leaks that are not covered by their warranty.