Garage Roof Leaking

[M.J.S]

Hi All,

I’m looking for some advice on what to do with a leaky garage roof… The garage is sandwiched between 2 others and shares the same roofing material as one to the left and the right is a similar fitting but I believe it is not joined. The roof is a corrugated material, not plastic or tin, it looks more like a concrete style (does this even exist?) underneath the corrugated material is a half inch thick underlay type material.

The roof is leaking in a few places, not a fast continuous flowing leak but enough to leave puddles on the floor and work bench.

I’m thinking that replacing the corrugated material could be problematic with the neighbours garage sharing the sections of roof. So would something like Ronseal Roof Sealent be a good if not so permanent solution? Or are there any other ways or re-sealing a roof?

Once I’ve don’t that the next job is to see if I can fill some rather large gaps around the old and poorly fitting garage door. That sounds like fun…

Thanks in advance,
MJS

[Mr GrimNasty]

Sounds like fibre cement (possibly asbestos but very low risk so don't panic/get ripped off!).
It can go porous with age, or crack, or the grommets around fixings may have decayed.
Walk on wooden boards not directly on the roof unless you like broken legs.
Scrub it all down clean (mask if it worries you).
Fix/patch/seal any obvious problems.
On a very dry day after a good drying period, slap on any roof sealing type rubbish you like & reapply yearly.
Might buy a bit of time but best option is to re-roof with something better.

[herbialfa]

Speak to the neighnours and go thirds each on a new GRP roof!

[Mr GrimNasty]

EPDM!

[M.J.S]

Thanks guys,
I dont think the neighbours will be interested in a new roof, and I think I'd have a hard time allocating the funds to do it just now.

The roof doesn't look like it would take walking on at all well, even with roof boards.

I think for the mean time I will go with the temporary solution of trying to find a dry day and slap on some of the roof sealant.
Its good to know that it will not do it any harm, and might help the situation.

Thanks
M

[mrmaggit]

Mr GrimNasty said:

Sounds like fibre cement (possibly asbestos but very low risk so don't panic/get ripped off!).
It can go porous with age, or crack, or the grommets around fixings may have decayed.
Walk on wooden boards not directly on the roof unless you like broken legs.
Scrub it all down clean (mask if it worries you).
Fix/patch/seal any obvious problems.
On a very dry day after a good drying period, slap on any roof sealing type rubbish you like & reapply yearly.
Might buy a bit of time but best option is to re-roof with something better.

^^^^ This.

[TAS1981]

Paint on sealant is a temporary solution at best. If you have not got the funds to allocate to fixing it right now, patch it as best you can and get saving for a replacement in the summer. The longer you leave it the more likely it will cause further problems / be more expensive to fix in the long run. Also you might watch out for your leaking roof causing your neighbours problems...

[silverthorn2151]

Be very very careful if you venture out on the roof. I suspect from your description that it fibrous asbestos cement sheeting.

You can't go around scraping and rubbing down asbestos cement sheeting. Whilst it's removal and disposal is not particularly complex, as opposed to other types of asbestos, it is still controlled.

I would actually say be very very careful, even with boards, as the sheets can become very brittle with age and loading the sheets can cause them to split, leaving you a bigger problem to solve.

Generally, these sheets will leak at the edges rather than becoming porous. Is there mileage is exposing the underside of the sheets and getting at the joints that way?

Long term though, you'll have to replace them.

[M.J.S]

Thanks all, I do not think I will be venturing out onto the roof, even with boards. I'd rather have a roof there that leaks a bit instead of a roof complete with a man shaped hole in the middle.

I'd not considered coming at it from underneath, not sure how well that will work with the rafters.

I'm still leaning towards a bit of a roof cleaning session to get off the moss and loose dirt. Then go with the temporary solution of the roof sealant. Then setting aside some cash to get the roof replaced in the next year or two.

The prospect of asbestos doesn't fill me with joy though, a good mask will be purchased before hand.

[Fatboy]

Something I've done on a similar roof was to get some corrugated plastic sheeting (clear acrylic type) the same profile as your current roof, and put it over the top of the current roof, stuck down by painting the underside of the plastic sheeting with bitumen sealant.You can bung it on the roof bottom up, if you're lucky without even needing to get onto the roof at all...

Quick, dodgy and really quite dirty, but very effective, as long as it's not in a very windy area...