Gravel Ballast Roof

Ballast also protects against hail and from foot traffic.

Gravel ballast roof. Gravel in form of round smooth river washed aggregate without broken pieces nominal 16 to 32 mm. Ballasted roof systems are simultaneously a roofer s best friend and arch nemesis. Ballast is laid loose on a flat roof. Although single ply roofs inherently have sun protective qualities ballast provides an extra layer of protection from.

Once completed the epdm membrane is held in place using one of the following materials as ballast with a minimum weight of 50 kg m. The gravel in a ballasted roof helps absorb heat preventing the sun from heating the roof materials below and making. It is however ballasted generally with gravel. When the concept first came to the u s plenty of roofers scratched their heads and wondered how the roof stayed on without being anchored especially during high winds or storms.

Holes mean roof leaks and roof leaks mean call the roofer. Gravel ballasted roofs with sikaplan or sarnafil single ply membranes are conventionally installed. There are two main types of burs or tar and gravel roofing systems modified bitumen roofs which are a mix of asphalt and rubber with a layer of gravel on top and ballast roofing which is a different style of larger gravel applied on top of a single ply roofing system. Between the heat absorbing capacity of stone and its insulating properties gravel roofs are even competitive with white membrane roofs when it comes to cutting heating costs in the summer.

Most ballasted roof systems use gravel stone that is similar to what would be used in landscaping. The single ply membrane and other roof components including thermal insulation are loose laid. Simply put a ballasted roof is easy to install and basically guaranteed maintenance work for a roofer. Roof perimeters and penetrations are flashed in accordance with firestone specifications pdf.

The ballast is used to keep the roofing system cool and of out of the sun s harmful rays thus keeping energy costs down. A ballasted roof means that the roof membrane is not anchored or adhered in any way to the decking material. However other ballasted systems use pavers which are easier to walk on and can be color coordinated. Ballast ballast is a material such as aggregate which uses its weight and gravitational force to hold down roof membranes.

The gravel top coat is also extremely resilient to heavy foot traffic and high wind scenarios. Despite the positive qualities associated with a ballasted roof system there are some challenges. The buildup is ballasted with a gravel layer of at least 50 mm and 80 kg m 2. Modified bitumen built up roofing.

Gravel ballast has additional beneficial properties it has been shown to greatly improve the thermal qualities of a roof. This type of aggregate can be gravel stone slag pea gravel or mineral granules.