Which Roll roofing product is least susceptible to mistakes

I posted this question on the amateur forum then I realized that it is probably better answered by professionals.

Which Roll roofing product is least susceptible to installation mistakes by inexperienced roofers?

Is EPDM a product that should be attempted by novices? Are there other roofing systems that a layperson should consider installing in a situation where there is some ponding?

EPDM is not for a DIY. It seams simple but the little things and tricks of the trade make all the difference on a good or bad roof. for a DIY go with somthing like Polyglass Elastoflex or GAF Liberty sheet or the equivelent Flintlastic. much more forgiving.

What RJ said.

Thanks, I will take your advice, I will leave the EPDM to the pros.

Are those alternatives as good or should I hold out until I find a qualified EPDM installer? We’ve been living with this leak for a couple years now so a few weeks/months won’t matter.

IMO the Liberty (GAF) and Flintastic (Certainteed) self adhesive membranes have not been around long enough to prove themselves to me. As I said on another thread, we are using them more and more. They do come with a manufacturer’s warranty, just make sure you install them to the specs given.

I’m going to leave the valley to the pros but I was wondering, are those products designed for use in situations where there is ponding water.

I’m going to leave the valley to the pros but I was wondering, are those products designed for use in situations where there is ponding water.

They are designed for low slope roofing applications. No roof material that I know of is designed to hold water. All roofs should have pitch. If they do not have pitch then they are designed wrong and this should be corrected at the time of roof replacement. We will call low slope roofs “flat” from time to time but in truth no properly designed roof is flat, they all shed water.

I got it, thanks Tar.

In this case the pitch is ok but the valley does not seem to have enough sideways pitch (don’t know the proper term) to get the water off.

That’s another part of the reason I decided to leave this to a pro. I belive that some adjustments can be made to improve the sideways run and as you can imagine that would be tricky even for a pro.

A bit off subject but I was on a roof the other day with no scuppers or drains. No drainage at all what so ever, it was a big ass bowl. Believe it or not through the 2 foot of water the roof was in good condition.

Boyblue:
Judging from the pics, epdm may work, depends on how it will be installed… the rolled asphalt roof is definitely out of the picture, it is not designed for that…
I recommend IB Roof (cpa/pvc membrane) … it is actually warrantied against ponding water and will work. question is - if you have the qualified installers in your area… but you can call the manufacturer and ask them… they should put you in contact with an authorized installer. check out ibroof.com for their phone #…
also in your other post someone recommended tpo - well, for you, it will be on par with epdm, but epdm is cheaper…

good luck

IMO low slope/flat roofs are not for diy’ers.
That being said I would recommend The newer peel and stick modified systems as long as there are no flashing details.
I don’t use them myself because as Tar Monkey Said “IMO the Liberty (GAF) and Flintastic (Certainteed) self adhesive membranes have not been around long enough to prove themselves to me.”
If you have any kind of flashing details hire a professional.

I have yet to find a real difference between TPO and PVC with the exception of what happens when they are hit with hail. Never seen TPO take any real hail damage but PVC shatters like glass. I always recommend TPO as a most cost effective roof becuase its NOT that much more expensive then EPDM, its a white membrane and holds up to hail better than PVC or EPDM. That being said why on earth would you be recommending EPDM UNLESS he has a ballasted rubber system already on and for dirt cheap he can just swap sheets and pick up a warranty?

Thermoplastic Polyolefin does not weather as well as PVA CPA or KEE. Also, TPO is nearly impossible to repair with like materials in a very short period of time, from what I understand.

AAron we make repairs on old TPO roofs everyday thats not true

german flat roofs are designed to hold the water, so they keep the inside cool in the summer

huh thats interesting bit of information. What types of materials do they use?