It’s not just metal roofs that might have noise issues. Your flat roof, whether on a commercial building or your home, might develop noise issues too. While you wouldn’t think that the thick, rubber-like membranes that are on flat roofs would develop noise issues, they definitely can. Here are five common noise issues with flat roofs you should be aware of.
1. Banging
When a sudden gust of wind comes along, do you hear a banging from your roof? Banging noises are usually from a loose part of the roof knocking against the rest of the roof. Stiff material like flashing is often the culprit. It may have come loose during a weather event, or perhaps it was never secured properly during the installation. Either way, the simple fix is to have a roofer come secure whatever is banging. Typically, when one part of the roof is loose, another is too, so your roofer will likely want to perform an inspection to make sure that they have found everything that needs to be secured.
2. Rain Noises
Flat roofing can be pretty thin, which can be an advantage when you’re trying to minimize the weight of your roof to protect your buildings’ structural integrity. However, thinner roofing membranes can also let the sound of heavy rain into the building. You can combat this with additional insulation, although the heaviest rain will always be heard. Or, you can get your roofer’s advice as to what you can place on the roof to dampen the sound. Solar panels are often a good option because they also serve the practical purpose of generating electricity.
3. Creaking
Is there an old roof beneath your current flat roof? If so, you are bound to hear creaking from the older roof beneath it. The old roof is likely damaged, which is why you had to have a new one installed. Now, it bears the weight of the new roof and will crack and shift around. Typically, this is fine, so long as the new roof installation was done with care. Although, ideally, old roofs would always be removed before new roof installation in order to avoid this problem. Now that the new roof is on, there are few options to remove the old material beneath it. This can become a problem if the old materials are wet.
4. Snapping
Is the creaking accompanied by a kind of snapping or groaning sound? It could still be an old roof, or it could be the result of thermal swelling and contracting. When the temperature changes, roofing materials will shrink or expand and at different rates depending on what they are made out of. This can result in a whole bunch of noises, but they are harmless.
5. Cawing
Well, it’s not the roof that could caw. But birds caw and they are often attracted to flat roofs as sources of shelter and water. Bird problems should be dealt with quickly to prevent damage to the roof.
