I’m Seeing Standing Water

I was up on my roof and saw a lot of standing water. Am I in trouble?

A: Ponding or standing water is not good for your roof. Ponding water will accelerate the degradation of BUR, EPDM and metal roofs. Drainage is a very important part of roofing. Having proper drainage can save a roof, and you’ll note that on many historic structures there are scuppers (a notch or hole through a wall) to allow water to flow through where there is sufficient slope.

A flat roof is the most inexpensive design and requires quite a bit less roofing material, but if a flat roof is not installed with adequate slope or drains for managing the water, it can get expensive fast.

Many roofing warranties are void if water stands for any period of time. We use Duro-Last materials, and a certified Duro-Last Roof has a warranty that isn’t void if there are ponding issues because the material and the application can withstand any water. We make sure that we engineer enough drainage so that water leaves the roof in a manner that doesn’t cause issues around the building. And we may build in internal drains to manage the rain and snow loads we see in this part of Michigan.

When doing a roof, we are always concerned with where the water will go. We make sure it’s not splashing on the walls, on windows or over doorways. We utilize gutters, rain detail, drains or scuppers. We can also design collector boxes that look attractive and lead water through a downspout to where you want it, instead of having it dump down the side of the building.

Ask Us Directly

Have your own question? Would you like to learn more about your specific roofing issue, options, and approaches? Please consider us a resource, and reach out to speak with our management. We’ve been doing commercial roofing and helping business owners and northern Michigan facility managers improve and protect their operations for three decades. Call us directly at 231.263.5300 or contact us for a timely response.