Flat Roof Parapet Wall Leak

Parapet wall leak repair waterproofing.

Flat roof parapet wall leak.

Flashing against walls chimneys skylights vent pipes and air conditioners cau. Proper roof wall abutment flashing examples. Slope the top of them inward so they don t stain the building façade. Make sure that there is a waterproof membrane under the coping.

Very common also are leaks at parapet wall flashing and parapet wall caps. A well designed and waterproofed flat roof should not cause problems or leak. A parapet wall is a low protective structural layer that is built adjacent to a roof. Copings and parapet walls are the reason for a high percentage of the waterproofing issues in flat roof construction.

Water may be entering the coping at the top of the parapet or entering the roof side of the parapet. However in my own experience the problems with leaking flat roofs are usually as a result of either poor workmanship installing the roof membrane poor maintenance by the building owner or as a result of age. A parapet wall provides continuity and support in terms of water air vapor and thermal control. Water from either of these locations may bypass flashing and enter the backup wall directly.

Leaking roof from a parapet wall youtube. Metal and stone copings leak at joints. For clarity flat roofs actually have a slight slope to allow rain water to drain off the roof but they seem flat when compared with more traditional steeply sloped roofs. This roofer explains how problems with parapet walls and the coping stones are causing water to pool under the felt and leak into the ceiling below.

Roofing industry spokesmen say that up to 90 percent of flat and low slope roof leaks occur. Is a flat roof actually flat. Below are two photographs of roof wall step flashing completed and effective of a slate roof against a brick wall below left and in process with step flashing against a dormer sidewall before the dormer siding has been put in place below right. There are other common causes for leakage at parapet walls.

The principles are easy. The easiest thing to get right about parapet construction is to keep rainwater from getting into the top of them.