Roof Membrane Shrinkage

What is roof shrinkage.

Roof membrane shrinkage.

Its causes include aging of the material poor installation and uv exposure. Roof shrinkage affects roofs that rely on synthetic rubber membranes most commonly ethylene propylene diene monomer epdm. Laminating any material introduces weak points that can cause the material to shrink crack craze and deteriorate over time. In fact it is common for some cheaper tpo roofs to develop cracks in the surface relatively quickly.

As mentioned earlier incorrect application of the roof membrane is one of the causes of premature epdm shrinkage. Your membrane is what protects your roof from hot and cold temperatures as well as from extreme weather. What is roof shrinkage. To help prevent shrinkage problems the following guidelines should be followed in preparing drawings and specifications and installing built up roofs.

Rather it refers to the shrinkage of the membrane that coats your roofing materials. This coats the roofing materials and provides something of a protective layer for the roofing materials. As the membrane shrinks it can begin to pull away from the flashing thus creating openings for leaks. This is due in part to the fact that the top layer of the material is laminated.

When it shrinks your roofing materials be they roof shingles or metal roofing are subject to cracking tearing ripping and ridging. Epdm roof membrane shrinkage. Generally the membrane composition and properties were found to not change sufficiently to cause excessive shrinkage. Otherwise it is all to easy to fall victim to problems caused by incorrect installation such as shrinkage for example.

This includes cracks crazing splitting and ridging of shingles. The paper presents conclusions and recommendations for existing roofs. Several factors can hasten epdm shrinkage including incorrect application poor manufacturing and faulty roof design. Epdm is a relatively sturdy rubber membrane and is often used to seal vehicles windows and you guessed it roofs.

This membrane protects your roof from extreme temperatures and weather and even from the damage from objects that could potentially puncture your roof. A few decades ago unreinforced rubber roof systems were plagued by shrinkage problems but thanks to technological advancements and improvements to epdm roofs the problems have diminished. Membrane shrinkage can also cause visible damage to the roof surface. Roof shrinkage refers to the shrinking of the membrane of your roof.

Roof shrinkage commonly occurs on roofs with synthetic rubber membranes such as epdm. Although epdm is one of the sturdiest rubber membranes that you can use it s still prone to shrinking over time. Shrinkage is most common on epdm or modified bitumen roofs. Some common reasons for shrinkage are.

All insulation stops and. While epdm roofs are easy to install the installation must be carried out by someone who is trained and experienced in installing epdm roofing. In some instances shrinkage can also damage wall masonry.