Boy, I sure hope this is not a troll. It sounds a bit like one.

Use Google and learn a few things:

This is a huge subject. Flat roofs are done in several different
materials. It is important to realize that the place that you see
the leak may not be any where close to the problem in the roof.
Is yours a wood framed roof with a wood deck or a steel framed
roof with a steel deck? Steel decks in particular can let water
travel 20 feet and more before it can find a place to drip.

A hot roof (the material poured on the roof comes from a hot
kettle, you know that horrible smell that most people object to)
can be either asphalt or coal tar. Most roofers do not like coal
tar, it costs more, and I really doubt that you have it. You
probably have an asphalt roof.

Asphalt roofs can be single ply, 3 ply, and 5 ply. It sounds like
you probably have a mopped/nailed on base sheet and a single ply
of modified bitumen (the stuff with the colored rocks on it) If
this was done correctly, it could have been applied with a full
hot mop of asphalt or torched down. The full hot mop is a better
roof in my opinion. You should not have been able to see any
nails whatsoever on this type of roof, there should have been no
nails to pull out anywhere. I would consider a modified bitumen
roof to be a 25 year roof if installed properly.

If you see nails on the edges of the stuff with the colored rocks,
you have an old 90 lb. rolled roofing install. If so, get a
roofer and get that stuff off, you can't win.

I can not figure out what you are talking about when you describe
a little hole at the back. This makes no sense unless it is a
roof drain. There should still be no nails visible. It should be
obvious that water goes in the hole and comes out somewhere - a
downspout or a drain tile.

EPDM is a roofing material that is just like an inner tube in a
tire made in large sheets. Some have good luck. We have over a
million square feet of roofing and have not had good experience
with the EPDM roofs we have had. It is glued to the roof and the
joints are glued. It is a totally alternate roofing system to
what you own now and would probably require the removal of what
you have now due to weight considerations.

Elastomeric sealants are a special paint- like coating that can
stretch and survive in a roofing environment. It is often coupled
with an application of urethane foam to shape a roof, smooth a
roof, increase the R value, etc that depends on its elastomeric
sealer to keep the UV rays from destroying the foam and providing
the initial water proofing. The elastomeric by itself can be an
excellent product, but I think would usually be considered as a
temporary solution in your circumstance. The roof would need to
be dry or close to it to apply. Of the home remedy ideas you have
expressed it probably is the most viable.

Smearing plastic roof cement, cold patch, and other tar based
products in a can is temporary stop-gap work at best. I would not
recommend it unless you see a small, distinct hole knocked in the
roofing caused by a tree limb, ladder, or some other localized
abuse.

(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"boaz" wrote in message
. ..
Hi,

I don't know much about house fixing. I will try my best to
decribe my roof.

It is one of those spanish-style flat roof.
It is rectangular with a small opening in the middle at the back
of my house.

The roof is about 8 years old.
I hired a roofer to re-did the whole roof 8 years ago
The roofer covered the roof with all kind of paper and then he
put hot tar on top of it and then put more those sand paper on
top.

People said this kind of roof could last around 10-15 years.
But... no matter... it is leaking.

When it rains very hard, the opening is not big enough to drain
the water.
When I go up the roof to see, it looks like a small pool.

It is where it is leaking from the small pool of water near the
opening.

I was trying to patch it myself. I went up there and walked
around to see if there is any crack or something. Sometimes I
saw a nail poping out. I would pull the nail out and used those
black roof patching thing to patch it.

It stoped the leak for a while. But it is leaking again.

Would you guys give me some suggestions on how to fix the leak
before I give up and call the roofer please? Many thanks!!