Ceiling water damage below flat roof with EPDM

gofurther

Good day all, first let me thank those who have offered their time and expertise for those less knowledgeable, it is appreciated by so many others.

I have some water damage on the ceiling of my bedroom, which is directly under an outdoor roof deck with EPDM (I think) membrane. There are two likely culprits, pictures of which I have attached.

My questions are, should I replace the aluminum tape (if that's what it is?) with Eternabond, or simply go over the tape that's already there. The second possible suspect is some flashing that was never caulked when it was built 6 years ago (note that the leak has only recently occurred). I went to the hardware store and picked up a tube of OSE Quad advanced formula sealant...and am wondering if this is appropriate to use for this purpose? It claims to be good for roofing, gutters, vinyl siding, masonry and concrete.

Finally, I noticed that the area around my screen door is not sealed (i.e. between the wood frame and the dark brown screen door); should I seal this and if so, what product to use (picture attached).

Many thanks.

Attached Thumbnails

     

tinner666

Eternabond is supposed to work on EPDM. Need to scrub the EPDM with Weathered EPDM Cleaner first.

That corner may not be an issue at all.

Only caulk compatable with EPDM can be used in it. Others will attack it.

As for the door, was it flashed? http://www.albertsroofing.com/Window%20Flashing.htm

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Frank

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gofurther

I don't think the caulk would need to touch the epdm material. It would go between the metal flashing and the masonry wall.

Can you tell from the pictures if this is indeed epdm or not? I don't really know for certain...

tinner666

I cannot tell from the pictures. Sorry. The texture on the right side the seam almost looks like PVC.

Stiff? It may be PVC.
Soft and flexible? Likely EPDM

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Frank

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tinner666

Pic two almost looks like it has 2 patches that stop shy of the counter-flashing. Like in the first pic. No patch can stop below the CF and work, long term.
How thick is the material.

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Frank

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Ed the Roofer

The waffle pattern on the right hand side of picture number one looks like modified bitumen.

Hard to say for sure with just such a tight view.

Ed

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gofurther

Hard to say exactly how thick, as there are no exposed edges. But my sense is 1/8"" to 1/4"" thick, and not soft at all, rather quite hard and stiff.

If it is PVC or modified bitumen, could I still use Eternabond to replace the silver tape? Would the top edge of the Eternabond patch really need to go underneath the flashing?

tinner666

You can use the eternabond. Yes, you want an inch or 2 under the flashing.
You'll seal an immediate leak, but the roof may be on it's last legs.

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Ed the Roofer

Tinner is correct and the thickness of the material sounds like modified bitumen.

It is a probably the torch applied APP variety, so if you need to call someone, you can identify the material better to them.

Ed

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gofurther

Thanks for the replies. That's part of my concern. Do I: attempt to repair the leak myself, find a roofing company/contractor to attempt to fix it, or get a roofer to replace the roof? At this point, I'm going to try for option 1 and do it myself. If that doesn't work, then I'll have to turn to the pros, and I'm hoping the prognosis isn't a new roof.

Ed, have you heard of Lakefront Supply in Chicago? I guess they are one of the few distributors of EternaBond, and they also have a referral service for contractors/roofers. Was wondering if you've had any experience with them.

Many thanks.

Ed the Roofer

Try to fix it yourself if it is only on a vertical seam like that.

Even though I am half Polish, I don't speak or understand it fluently enough to converse with the majority of the LakeFront staff.

I highly commend them though, for the in house training sessions they provide to contractors on how to fabricate and solder sheet metal, if they are still doing that.

The last time I used them, was when I installed the Coal Tar Pitch Built Up Roof on the Aviary Building at Lincoln Park Zoo.

What part of Chicago are you from?

Ed

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gofurther

Ed, you weren't kidding about the folks at Lakefront. I also think 90% of their clientele spoke only Polish. But, they were friendly enough. BTW, I live near Division and Ashland.

It was frustrating that I had to buy 50' of Eternabond when I only needed about 8 inches, but oh well...if it fixes the leak I'll be happy. I applied the tape yesterday and will know this week if it has done the trick.

Thanks all!