List the three main functions of roofs. The roof covering is typically part of the structure of the home.
A. True
B. False What is the fundamental difference in strategy between a flat-roof surface and a sloped-roof surface? Is a sloped roof waterproof? Explain. What is the pitch of the roof and how is it usually expressed? What is the overall goal of the roof inspection? (List four points.) Even if you walk on the roof and inspect every inch, there are limitations to your inspection. Explain. Why can a minor leak be more of a problem than a major one? List nine common roof problems you’ll find. On a 10-year-old house, how old would you expect the roof surface to be? What are the causes of aging? Try to recall as many as you can. Which side of a roof will wear faster in climates where ultraviolet light is the main aging factor? In general, is there a higher risk of leakage at a patched area of roof? Anything that restricts the drainage of water is a vulnerable area. Give as many examples as you can. What things might you see that suggest patching has been done on a roof? Once a roof is installed, can you see all the important installation details? Which of the following roofs are MOST prone to ice dams?
A. A steep-sloped roof with a wide soffit
B. A low-slope roof with a narrow soffit
C. A low-slope roof with a wide soffit What areas of the roof are MOST prone to ice dams? List the clues that a house may have had or may be prone to ice damming. These clues may be evident in the summer as well. Which is the best options for minimizing ice damming? What are the drawbacks to adding a second layer of roofing over a first? 25. Where can you look on a roof to determine the number of layers? 26. What are the three parts of an asphalt shingle? 27. What is the typical life expectancy of an asphalt-shingle roof? 28. List six common failure modes for asphalt shingles. 29. What things do you look for to determine whether the shingles are old? 30. What is the implication of driving nails or staples too deep? 31. What is the implication of not driving nails or staples deep enough? 32. You will never find three layers of asphalt shingles on a roof. 33. What are the common failure modes for wood shingles and shakes? 34. In what part of the roof are missing shingles or shakes most likely? 35. Slate (choose two answers): 36. Slate roofs are among the most expensive to install and maintain. 37. Give four reasons for slate roof failure. 38. Should you walk on slate roofs? 39. Name three poor slate-repair methods. 40. What things suggest that the slate is near the end of its life? 41. What general shapes are clay tiles likely to be? (Give two.) 42. What’s the difference between a Spanish tile and Mission tile? 43. You should always walk on clay-tile roofs. 44. Give eight conditions to watch for on clay-tile roofs. 45. What shapes are concrete tile? 46. What concrete tile conditions should you watch for? (List eight.) 47. Should inspectors walk on concrete roofs? Fiber-cement shingles contain some of the same components as concrete tiles. Fiber-cement shingles can be bent without breaking. Metal roofs are commonly what materials? Six common problems on metal roofs are __. Another name for roll roofing is __. Roll roofing is MOST similar to what other material we’ve discussed? Roll roofing is commonly used in what flashing detail? What are the common failure modes for roll roofing? (Name four.) Synthetic roofing is typically less expensive in both installation and material costs compared to what material it resembles? Is it more common for a roof to leak at the flashings or at other areas in the roof surface? List as many common flashing materials as you can. List at least five areas where flashings are found. Are valley flashings a watertight or shedding type of flashing? Why should open valleys widen at the bottom? (Two reasons) What are the two common materials used for open valley flashing? What are the two types of closed valleys? Give at least three typical valley flashing conditions. What is the BEST spot from which to inspect the installation of the valley flashing? What are the implications of a valley flashing problem? List as many valley flashing installation problems as you can. A flashing is not required on the bottom edge of the chimney.
Is caulking an acceptable substitute to letting the flashing into the mortar joints? Why or why not? List as many common masonry chimney flashing conditions as you can. What is the implication of poor chimney flashings? Is your chimney inspection finished when you get off the roof? Why or why not? Pipe flashings might be found at which roof penetrations? Common stack flashing materials are __. What are some common stack flashing conditions? Roofsidewall flashings are similar to what flashing that we discussed earlier? Should step flashings be nailed to the wall or the roof? When roofsidewall flashing is installed, the wood siding can be used as the counterflashing. Why is it considered good practice to keep the siding slightly away from the roof surface? What is the recommended clearance? Roofsidewall flashings are sometimes improperly installed. Give three examples of typical installation defects. Where a steep roof meets a masonry wall at the side, counterflashing should be used. The counterflashing should be nailed or bolted securely to the face of the brick wall and the joint filled with caulking. Identify eight roof/sidewall flashing materials. Which metal flashing material is not compatible with masonry mortar, according to some authorities? The primary implication of sidewall flashing problems is __. Roof’s intersecting walls above need flashings similar to __. Top-quality flashings at roofs meeting a masonry wall above are two-piece flashings. Most are __ piece on site. Nailing flashings to both the roof and the wall is
Exposed nail heads through the metal flashing into the roof may result in what? Some ridge flashing systems have a second function, not related to keeping the roof watertight. What is it? Identify five common hip and ridge conditions. Fasteners on hips and ridges should be mostly There are two types of double-glazing systems on skylights: hermetically sealed and __. Which type of skylight is MOST likely to be successful: a skylight mounted on a curb or a skylight that is mounted directly on the roof? Windows should not be used as skylights. Anything that has more than a ______-degree slope off vertical should not be treated as a window. List as many common skylight conditions as you can. Leaking skylights can lead to structural problems.
Can ice damming be an issue on skylights?
97. During an inspection, you should never lift on the edge of a skylight. On an interior inspection of a skylight, you might use Is a flat-roof system a “shedding” system or a “watertight” system? Why is it often difficult to identify flaws in the membrane of a built-up roof? What is the purpose of the asphalt and the felts in a built-up roof? What is the purpose of the flood coat on a built-up roof? What is the purpose of the gravel on a built-up roof? We have discussed 13 conditions relating to the membrane of a built-up roof. List as many as you can. Is it good practice to apply new built-up roof membranes over old? Any roof that still has water on it ___ hours after a rain is defined as a “ponding” roof. Give at least two implications of a ponding roof. If it has not rained in a long time, and there is no ponding at the time of the inspection, what are other clues that might lead you to believe that the roof has experienced some ponding? What is the main implication of exposed felts? If you are looking at a single-ply roof surface with a granular surface, what are some clues to differentiate modified bitumen from roll roofing? List nine common problems you’ll find on modified bitumen roofs. Don’t count installation problems. List six common installation mistakes on modified bitumen roofing. For an EPDM single-ply roof, what is the typical flashing material? EPDM is a kind of plastic or rubber? The most common sources of failure on EPDM roofs are ___ and flashings. Asphalt-based roofing mastic should not be used for repairs on EPDM. Why? A metal surface is a common and inexpensive way to cover large flat roofs.
A. True
B. False List at least four different types of metal that have been used for flat roofing. What conditions are commonly found on EPDM, PVC, and metal (excluding installation problems)?
On steep roofs, the most common area for leakage to occur is at the flashings. Where is the MOST common area for leakage on a flat roof? Why would you not want aluminum flashing on masonry? What is a cant strip and where is it used? The base flashing on a flat roof is a “shedding system.”
A. True
B. False On a flat-roof flashing system, the counterflashing is typically attached to the vertical surface or the horizontal surface? When a skylight is installed on a flat roof, an 8-inch-high curb is built for the skylight frame to sit on. Does the skylight frame go over the base flashing or does the base flashing extend up the sides of the skylight frame? What is the purpose of a “pitch pocket”? What is the purpose of a secondary scupper? When a steep roof drains onto a flat roof, the flat-roof membrane should extend about ___ feet up under the steep roofing shingles or tiles. List 11 common flashing problems on flat roofs (excluding installation problems). List 10 common flashing installation problems on flat roofs.