A Brief Guide to Flat Roofs and Gutter Systems
Properly maintained gutters are a must for flat roofs. To be sure, gutters play an important role on traditional roofs, but because flat roofs aren’t angled, the stakes are much higher; they can easily be impacted by pooled water and debris, and these things can lead to leaking, costly repairs, and unnecessary frustration.
With this in mind, it shouldn’t be difficult to see why a flat roof gutter system is so significant. To more clearly illustrate the point, let’s take a look at the role played by gutters, how residents of flat-roof homes can maintain their gutters, and other pieces of information that are sure to prove handy!
Flat Roofs: Additional Convenience with a Couple Caveats
Flat roofs are, generally speaking, much more convenient than their angled counterparts. Tasks and responsibilities like cleaning, accessing the chimney, adjusting the satellite, and maintaining an optimal area (flat roofs don’t usually feature shingles) are made notably easier by flat roofs. However, there are a couple caveats to this benefit, and all flat-roof residents should know about them.
The first is that debris can more easily land on flat roofs and block drainage paths—including gutters. To be sure, it’s recommended that flat roofs be examined for debris and branches after even mild rainstorms. (Of course, flat roofs that are completely out of the range of trees don’t need to be checked after every storm; an occasional verification will suffice.)
The second is that a flat roof gutter system can easily become backed up, and back-ups can quickly lead to pooled water and damage. Particularly after periods of substantial rainfall, flat roofs are susceptible to standing water; flat roofs collect more rainwater than angled roofs, and when a gutter becomes blocked, this water naturally starts to pool. Additionally, this point can lead to difficulties when winter ice begins to melt, as the ice upon the roof, which is exposed to the sun, will melt before the ice in the gutters.
To prevent trouble, it’s recommended that residents of flat-roof homes take a few moments to check for debris following storms. One’s flat roof gutter system should be cleaned regularly—once per week is advisable during the warm months—and when cold weather turns to spring, it wouldn’t hurt to remove blocks of ice (and any other snowy obstructions) from the gutter.
Other Gutter Maintenance Tips
The listed hang-ups of flat roofs—if they can be called that—are self-explanatory in terms of how they should be handled. For additional peace of mind and convenience, flat-roof residents can verify that their gutters are angled downward, keep nearby tree branches trimmed and away from the roof, and replace used gutter segments—those which are particularly bent and worn—once every five or so seasons.
Hopefully, this information illustrated how convenient and reliable flat roofs are, and also, how flat roofs can be made to function and drain optimally. A little bit of effort and attentiveness goes a long way towards ensuring the smooth operation of roofing systems.
Thanks for reading!