My 15 year old EPDM roof has become unglued about 8″ from the drip edge on the rear porch. The galvanized drip edge needs to be replaced. My question concerns reglueing the membrane. I have found a source for a 1 gallon container for membrane glue but I do not know if an older roof can be successfully reglued. I am going to replace the drip edge also.
Thanks
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Replies
This is a forty year product so if you can clean it5 well, you should be able to glue it.
But there is something else bothering me in this description. It sounds like the metal drip edge is installed first and then the EPDM placed over it.
The proper methodolgy is to install the EPDM, then nail the drip edge in place, then run the seal strip over that metal. Then caulk the edges of it so no water can penetrate and adversly effect the glue holding it in place.
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I've read through several manufacturer's websites regarding this detail, and it is as you describe. I've wondered though, why it should be that way. Seems exactly the opposite of the principle that you work for with other roofing systems?Thanks.
Thon
No it isn't. I did BUR roofing for many years, and every detail is the same way, encapsulating the metal in the layers of membrane.You would be right if refering to pitched roofs, lapping facing downhill always, but a flat roof is different in the way it deals with water and seams
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No it isn't. I did BUR roofing for many years, and every detail is the same way, encapsulating the metal in the layers of membrane.
I'm gonna play devil's advocate and stir this pot a little. BUR is a series of plies. EPDM is a single ply, except at flashing details when done with your detail. Birth, school, work, death.....................
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Makes no difference when the gaoal is encapsulation.When the EPDM is all ABOVE the metal, theere is only ONE seal to break before it leaks., but when dual sided, it has to break free on both sides of the metal to leak.So with a typical three ply BUR, you have three plies of main under, and two plies of strip-in over the metal, but the result is still that with , say, a five inch wide metal edge, the water has to traverse ten inches of seam to have a failure, and the bottom level is still rejecting most of it out to thje very edge of the structure.In opposition to this, the detail as used in this thread would only require that five inches of seam fail to get water in, and that water is then able to enter at a point five inches back from the edge instead of right out att he edge where it is less likely to get in and stain cielings and wet insulations
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The proper methodolgy is to install the EPDM, then nail the drip edge in place, then run the seal strip over that metal. Then caulk the edges of it so no water can penetrate and adversly effect the glue holding it in place.
The brand of EPDM I normally use (Mulehide), recommends installing the drip edge first. The difference being, they spec a double sided sticky in-seam tape applied between the EPDM and the metal. Then the seam is caulked.
This makes for a much better looking edge (we usually use copper drip edge) and doesn't have so much bulk. One of the reasons I've side stepped EPDM installation for a number of years is the pooling at the edge created by layering as you're used to doing. I never liked that detail.
We use the same detail at wall abuttments. Install a copper "ell" or cant and stick the rubber to it. Then we counter flash. Looks a lot better than termination bar flashing. Birth, school, work, death.....................
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It may look better, but as this guys problem demonstrates, it is a point of failure to do it that way. The extra super stickiness of the Mulehide system probably helps, but it still fights the principles of the double seal being better in the long run.
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I just got back from looking over a job that was done with EPDM folded over into the gutter, edge metal nailed thru that and a strip of uncured applied over the metal ( The detail you like). The strip had lifted allowing water to find the nail holes below the edge metal. This is a 5-6 year old roof and I can tell from the looks of the detailing that the problem was the installer, not the detail. Either detail, if done properly, should last. Either detail if done wrong, will fail.
This roof has a multitude of skylights in it and has sustained some sheathing damage. I can't save it. Wish I'd taken a pic or two for your perusal.Birth, school, work, death.....................
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Yes, you can re-glue to the membrane. It is a typical procedure for EPDM roofs to re-flash and or re-seam the membrane because the edges and seams are the weakest points for the roof system.
Yes, typically the EPDM is lapped over the fascia board for extra protection. The flashing strip is used to protect the drip edge fasteners. Thon, my thinking is that the EPDM lapped over the edge is like ice and water shield on a shingled roof. You put the ice and water on, the drip edge, and then you start shingling the roof on top of the substrate.
One option for not buying an entire bucket on membrane cement, is you can buy flashing strips that are self-adhering. Even the big box stores will have this product. Like in the other posts, cleaning the membrane is very important and a lap sealant is also very important.
I did an EPDM roof on an apartment building of mine. I also didn't like the detail of the EPDM followed by the drip edge and then a strip of uncured rubber over the metal. There is an alternative. A strip of rubber on the roof 6 or 8" wider than the drip edge, then the metal, then the roof EPDM. I also added a strip of uncured over the metal and under the roof EPDM. It helps protect the roof from the metal edges and nails of the of the drip edge and acts like an inner seal.
I was using copper which the roof contact cement will not work with. (It will cause the copper to corrode.) You have to use the seam cement with copper. I don't know what will happen with galvanized.
Also you need to prepare the EPDM for gluing with a cleaner or gasoline. This softens the rubber and enables the glue to work. Kind of like the cleaner for PVC plumbing. It's only necessary for the seams.
Now THAT's a detail that I like.
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