Flat Roof Waterproofing Tips


Because it is flat, a flat roof holds debris and water. Unlike a pitched roof where debris can blow off the roof even with a gentle breeze, a flat roof actually traps debris. To protect yourself and your home, be sure to invest in flat roof waterproofing and a gutter system that works.

All residential flat roofs are pitched toward a corner where there is an outlet (hole) leading to a leader or downspout. Any and all debris on a flat roof naturally flows to this (corner) outlet.

Standard Flat Roof outlets are small. They clog easily and often.

Once a Flat Roof outlet is clogged, water backs up onto the roof. This water will find even a pinhole in the roof and begin leaking into the house. Even if you have taken the time with flat roof waterproofing, this can still cause leakage after a time. Where the leaking in the roof begins and where it is noticed inside the house are often two completely different locations. That is, the water stain inside the house is not directly under the pinhole/leak in the roof. The water leaking through the roof will always follow its path of least resistance and show itself by water stain anywhere in the ceiling or wall. Tracing from the water stain back to where the leak is in the roof is very difficult.

So, it is very important to ensure that the outlet in a Flat Roof does not clog.

If the outlet is clear, water will always flow off the Flat Roof, down the downspout and away from the house – just like it is supposed to do. This is where The SpoutOff (www.thespoutoff.com) Flat Roof Outlet and Removable Downspout can help.

The SpoutOff Flat Roof Outlet is 3 to 4 times larger than a standard Flat Roof outlet. The SpoutOff Outlet has no lip around its top to catch debris and start the clogging. When debris reaches The SpoutOff Outlet, that debris has no place to go but down — out the large outlet, down the downspout and safely away from the house.

BONUS: In order to check or clean all present Flat Roof outlets someone has to climb up there. With The SpoutOff Removable Downspout feature, checking a 1, 2 even 3-story Flat Roof outlet can be done in less than 1 minute by a Homeowner standing safely DOWN ON THE GROUND!

This means that the day before a rain is predicted any homeowner can check their flat roof outlets and KNOW FOR SURE when that rain comes tomorrow, their outlets and downspouts will work. Keeping water from backing up on a flat roof is all about the outlet, the clean, clear outlet – The SpoutOff Outlet.

Note: Although flat roofs are pitched toward a corner outlet, some areas may “puddle,” even with flat roof waterproofing. This is due to the fact that the flat roof itself may not be perfectly flat and smooth.

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