Flat Roof Repair in South Philadelphia

Why does a leak in one South Philadelphia row so often reach the next house?

A row shares its walls, so water that gets past a parapet or a membrane termination can run down the party wall and show up in the house beside it. The owner of the house with the stain may be the one who calls, while the source is on the next roof.

Contractor guidance describes membrane terminations at a party-wall parapet as a point that must be sealed, so water does not migrate into the neighbor's building. A roofer checks that termination on each house in a run where a leak is reported.

What do South Philadelphia flat roofs drain to, and where do they stop?

The usual rowhouse roof drains to a drain set in the roof and then to a downspout, or to a gutter along the rear. The drain, the outlet and the seams around them are the places to look first, because standing water finds the weakest point.

A roof that ponds is worth attention before it leaks. A technician marks the edge of the standing water and checks the drain, so the next visit can show whether the problem is growing.

What did the microbursts mean for the streets here?

The National Weather Service has reported microburst gusts of 60 to 70 mph reaching South and West Philadelphia, at least four microbursts in about half an hour. The NWS said the damage was straight-line wind, not a tornado,.

After a windy night, look for displaced flashing at the parapet, loose gutters and debris in the drains. Clear the drain, photograph the roof edge, and get temporary cover on any opening before calling a roofer.

How does a long run of party-wall parapets affect a South Philadelphia repair?

A long run of rowhouses shares one line of parapet walls, and the flashing at each shared wall is a joint that can fail. A roofer working on one house checks the parapet on both sides of it, because a leak can come from the neighbor's end of the same wall and show up in the house being repaired.

Repairs to a shared parapet are scheduled with the neighbors in mind. The membrane edge is sealed at the wall, the cap is checked and the flashing is turned up correctly, and the owners on either side should know when the work will happen and what they should watch for afterward.

In a dense run, the rear gutters and the back-of-house drains are also checked. Water that gets past a rear outlet can run down the back wall toward the yard, and a roofer checks the downspouts and the discharge at the back of each house during the same visit.