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TomR[_3_]

wrote:
On Sat, 2 Feb 2013 20:07:27 -0500, "TomR" wrote:

I am looking for any suggestions or information regarding making
repairs to a rubber roof.

The roof in question is on a small rectangular building (about 20
feet x 35 feet), and the roof itself is shaped sort of like a
"Quonset hut". It is straight on the two sides, and it curves up
from one side to the peak and then curves back down to the other
side of the building. Or, to put it another way, the shape of the
roof is like a semi-circle.

There are a couple of short seams that appear to have been repaired
in the past, and those overlapping seams have buckled a little and
are letting water in.

To be honest, I am just looking for a cheap temporary repair or fix
for now. The building needs a lot of work and it is going to be put
up for sale and sold for cheap very soon. It will be obvious and no
secret to the potential buyers that it will need a new roof. But,
for now, I would like to just get the leak sealed to get it through
the winter and into the summer while it is up for sale. The
property is in Central New Jersey.

Are there rubber repair patches or some other similar solution that
could be applied to this roof to temporarily repair the seams that
are now leaking?

I worked as a maintenance and repair person for a business years ago.
That building had rubber roofing, and they had some leaks. They told
me to fix it. Having never worked on them, I had to do some calling
until I found a place that installs as well as sells the materials
for them. They told me exactly what I needed, asked me how much
repair (size) was needed and sold us the materials. It's mostly a
special adhesive, and a cleaner that is needed. The cleaner was
Naptha. But I dont remember the name of the adhesive. Dont skip the
cleaner, the patch wont hold. It really needs to be cleaned till only
bare rubber is showing. Then you apply the adhesive. We got a small
roll of the rubber too, for patching over damaged spots. You may or
may not need that.

Once we had all the repair materials, and a (how to) booklet they
provided, it really was not that hard to do. But you need the right
materials. Look for a company that sells the rubber roofing supplies
and contact them. No special tools were needed.

Thanks. It sounds like your situation was similar to mine since I too have
had no experience in working with rubber roofs.

The part where you wrote,

It's mostly a
special adhesive, and a cleaner that is needed. The cleaner was
Naptha. But I dont remember the name of the adhesive. Dont skip the
cleaner, the patch wont hold. It really needs to be cleaned till only
bare rubber is showing. Then you apply the adhesive. We got a small
roll of the rubber too, for patching over damaged spots.

is probably what I need to do.

And, I think you are right that I should check with a place that sells the
rubber roofing supplies and ask them. There are a couple of roofing supply
companies in my area, so I'll see what they suggest.