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How to repair a hole in a flat roof depends on what material your flat roof is made from. If you have an asphalt, felt or EDPM rubber roof, the repairs are quite simple, whereas it’s a bit more tricky if you have a fibreglass flat roof. How to repair a hole in an asphalt flat roof If you’ve got a small hole in your asphalt flat roof, you might get away with using a paint-on fix from a tin. It’s best to use this as a temporary measure to tide you over until you can get in touch with a professional. If the hole is on the flashing, you can add heat-applied flashing tape to it, or use a patch of torched-on roofing felt. There are liquid systems you can use, but usually they’re only available to the trade. Repairing a hole in a felt flat roof It's a similar process to asphalt roofing if you want to repair a hole in a felt flat roof. Use a paint-on fix for a temporary solution, but the best way to repair a hole is to use a torched-on piece of roofing felt to cover the hole and make it watertight again. How to fix a hole in an EDPM rubber flat roof If the hole in a rubber flat roof is small, you may be able to get away with applying some lap sealant to the hole. Only use a small amount, as if you go for a more permanent repair later down the line all of this will need to be scraped off. You can also use a malleable piece of self-adhesive flashing – clean the area, add EDPM primer and stick the patch on from the centre outwards. Add sealant to the edges if you want to give it more water protection. How to fix pin holes in a fibreglass flat roof If you find pin holes in your fibreglass roof, it usually means there wasn’t enough resin used at installation. To repair the holes, you’ll need to sand down the entire roof back to the clear resin. Then clean the area with acetone and apply GRP roofing resin – the acetone ensures that the resin sticks. You might need two coats of resin to get rid of all the holes.

Do You Need Felt Under Roof Tiles?

Before now, roofing felt were mainly incorporated to serve as a temporary waterproof roof on a building which would later on be changed for the permanent solid tiles or slate roof. This is due to the fact that rebuilding a roof can be time consuming taking a few number of days, the roofing felt would be used to protect the structure as well as the property it contains by acting as a barrier between the house and the harsh elements such as rain, wind, snow, sleet and more, while also providing minimal insulation until the structure is complete.

However those are in the olden days, in recent times, roofing felt ( also referred to as breathable roofing membrane or breathable felt) is now being used to create a safe and waterproof roof which is long lasting and will protect your house, properties as well as other outbuildings for a long period of time while also complying with the Building Regulations. So to answer the question - yes, you’re going to need felt under roof tiles as it has been made mandatory by building regulations.

Now let’s take a look at the different functions served by felt.

✓ You’ll need felt under roof tiles to prevent the roof space from being exposed.

✓ Roofing felt protects homes where a roof has not yet been installed to serve as a temporary protective layer against the elements.

✓ Roofing felt is particularly crucial for modern homes which are constructed to be more energy efficient and work to hold warm air from escaping the house. This is great to reduce your heating bills while also keeping both you and your loved ones cosy all throughout the year.

✓ Overall, building regulations imply that an underlay underneath the slate or tiles is now a compulsory requirement.

Chimney liners are a very important component of the chimney, but the fact is most home and property owners either continue to overlook them or aren’t even aware of their existence. This is, however, quite understandable given the fact that they usually last a long period of time – more than 50 years. To ensure that they last that long, the question that arises is, do chimney liners need to be swept and cleaned? The short and simple answer to this question is yes, chimney liners definitely needs to be cleaned on a frequent basis. A chimney liner happens to be an essential part of your chimney. When it’s not cleaned, it tends to accumulate dust, soot and dirt which can give rise to a number of problems you’d rather want to avoid. Chimney liner are able to provide adequate protection to your flue but even at that the water, creosote and other contaminant build up can make the liner to deteriorate, and making it unsafe for usage. In other words, contrary to several belief, chimney liners do need the same amount of cleaning as chimneys without liners. Failure to sweep your chimney liners can give rise to the following problems:

• Creosote buildup. If your main source of fire is wood, then you’ll definitely have creosote present in your chimney. This is highly combustible and its buildup may lead to fire outbreak.
• Carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is said to be on the rise by NCBI and its primarily generated from heating systems which are terribly ventilated as a result of uncleaned or dirty chimneys.

How To Replace Flat Roof Fascia

Whatever makes you decide to install your flat roof fascia by yourself and not a professional company, then you must have a clear idea of what to do and do it appropriately. If you lack proper training and experience, we’d recommend you employ a reliable professional to help with the task for the best results and save you some time and money. This step-by-step guide will give a clear insight on how to go about the replacement of your flat roof fascia.

The tools to be incorporated includes the fascia boards, table saw, plane, crimper, clamps, power nailer, compound saw and chalkline.

• Prepare and get all the necessary tools to complete the task before commencing as this would save you time from stopping and going back and forth looking for the next tool needed,

• Install the sheathing and board.

• Fix white fascias with at least 600mm centres ( a foiled fascia needs just 40mm centre) using a marine grade stainless steel plastic headed nails.

• Make a space of up to 10mm between the joints for possible building expansion, using super glue to secure the joints to just a side of the fascia.

• Place this directly on the fascia board’s top (if you’ll be installing ventilation) to create an air pathway.

• Take note that the type of roof to be installed will determine how you’ll have to install the fascia board. For instance, a hip roof permits you to attach the fascia board onto the roof in a quick fashion, whereas a gabled roof may need you to make markings on the board to achieve the right fit.

• Consider the depth of the fascia board as it also play a huge role in the installation of the fascia board. For instance, there’ll be additional weights on tiled roofs that will push up against the board. Therefore, if you do not get the appropriate amount of depth, it could eventually collapse.

Clean of your conservatory gutter is probably not one of the most enjoyable chores you’d like to take on around the house. Not only is it messy and tedious, but it’s also time consuming and smelly. It’s a job every home and property owner would rather avoid, but unfortunately everyone has to do it. It’s a necessity due to the fact that neglect gutters holds and harbours mould, moss as well as plant debris. It would have been better if this is only disgusting, but the actual truth is that should be the least of your worries as this gradual build up of organic material in your conservatory gutters can minimize their drainage abilities, leading to leakages and spills that can damage your conservatory.

Cleaning of your conservatory gutter is a task that can be done regardless of your level of experience. However, it’s advisable to call in a professional for help especially if you lack the confidence required to pull it off.

• Use a ladder for a closer look. Cleaning your gutters from the ground by poking it with a hooked tool might seem the best way out, but in truth you risk damaging the gutters or brackets and marking the conservatory panes when you don’t see what you’re doing.
• Invest in specialist tools. For expert DIYers, taking off your downpipes from the wall to clean might be a pretty easy task. However, for most people it can be extremely frustrating. As a result, there’s the need to get hold of some flexible gutter brushes. With a bendable stem and stiff bristles, these are able to hook and dislodge dirt and leaves inside your downpipes with relative ease.

Replacement of roof tiles that have fractured, cracked or is missing is vital to avoid roof leaks and ceiling damage once rain and wind appear. Countering the problem swiftly by yourself is probable as long as it's only a few tiles. Charges for tile replacement can be expensive and fluctuate conditional on the company you hire.

The steps to replacing a tile are:

Ensure you have the right replacement tile as there are numerous different roof tiles on the market.

The most common types of roof tiles are concrete and terracotta. You must confirm that the tile is identical to your earlier tile or it may not work and can result in impairment even though you've tried to repair it. If you don't know what the tile is, ask the suggestion of a roofing supplier and they should be able to match it for you.

Get onto the roof.

It is only advisable to do this if the safety is guaranteed, using a steady ladder and maybe even using climbing ropes to protect you in case of a fall. If you don't possess a head for altitudes or you're sceptical about how safe it is for you to get on the roof, call in a professional.

Once you have securely gotten to the cracked tile, you'll want to somewhat lift the tiles that overlay the one to be detached. Do this by means of two pieces of timber to hold them up. Lift the broken tile over the baton with a brick trowel and gently slide it down.

Place your new tile on top of the brick trowel and inverse the steps to remove the tile.

Be certain to place the overlying tiles back into place.

Conduct a fast check across the roof to review any other possible damage. It is always advised to keep update on how the roof is holding out to keep an eye out for other tiles that might need replacing.

How To Clean And Maintain Metal Roofs

If you already have a metal roof or just planning to get one, you’d probably be interested in knowing the cleaning and maintenance procedures. Although, metal roof are widely known to be very easy to clean and maintain and also very durable and long lasting, it’s still strongly recommended that homeowners should do all in their power clean and to take care of their metal roof in order to ensure it they live up to their potentials. Cleaning your metal roofs regularly helps to minimize damaging element such as airborne dirt, pollen, organic material debris, pollution, mildew and lots more. If left unattended to, these unwanted elements can result in several negative issues over time as such as chalking. Due to fact that metal roofs normally features special coatings as well as paint, cleaning the roof is both easy and environmentally friendly, which removes the need to use toxic chemicals. With just plain water, you can effectively wash down dirt, dust and other debris from your metal roof.

While the cleaning process is quite simple, working at height can be incredibly dangerous. It requires skills and confidence, so if you lack either of these qualities, it’s advisable to call in a professional roof cleaning contractor for help. Below is a simple cleaning solution usful for most metal roofs.

✓ In the event whereby water alone isn’t enough, make a cleaning solution using a quarter cup detergent ( which should include car washing soap, mild laundry detergent, mild dish soap) for each gallon of water.

✓ Apply the mixture to the surface of the roof with a wash cloth and ensure to the application gently.

✓ After application, allow it sit for up to 15mins.

✓ Rinse the roof surface with plain water.

The feasibility of this will depend on the roof’s strength, in particular its load bearing capabilities. This is simply because tiles are heavier than the metal sheeting. Normally a tiled roof will need to take a load capacity of 60kg per square metre. You will need a trusted roofing company to advise on this.