My Foam roof is uneven and doesn't drain properly - help!
Hi,
I have a foam roof that's about 9 years old. I need to decide what kind I want going forward. I find myself thoughout the winter sweeping the water into the drains because of large pools of water that form.
Are foam roofs more prone to bad drainage because of the uneveness?
I know I don't want tar/gravel. I'm looking for advice between foam or other options.
Thanks, Susan
Nine years of sweeping water and wondering about an uneven surface! I hope you got your roof for free. (still a bad deal) Low areas should be addressed in the re-roofing contract. Industry standards describe a 'pond' as an area at least ten feet across and one inch deep. Ponding areas must be built-up on purpose. Flat areas on Eichlers will have many small, shallow puddles. There is no gravel to hide them. These areas get dirty over the years. The water and dirt don't hurt the coatings we have used going back 24 years. The uneven surface indicates the unhappy possibility of improper application, improper materials, improper conditions, improper equipment, improper intentions - or a combination of these. 9 years is not very old for a foam roof. Foam roofing materials are very expensive and very unforgiving. Companies that can't perform are overwhelmed by unhappy customers in only a few years.
Hi Susan:
We replaced our original Tar and Gravel roof (still under warranty when we bought 9 years ago) with foam and could not be happier. T&G is a terrible material for flat or low-sloped roofs. We replaced with foam and it has been wonderful. We did use Dura-Foam -- but I can say that in general -- I am really pleased with the quality of the product and its compatibility with Eichler roofs -- relative to the alternatives.
T&G roofers, in our experience, were just not equipped to handle the sophisticaion required by today's flat roofs. No matter how hard we tired, the roofers could not fix the problem. Since foam is sprayed on, it does not look 100% level, but it provides good drainage, when applied properly. Since the initial intallatoin 6 years ago, we have had zero problems and not only that -- our home is ever so much cooler.
Cathye
