Additional benefits of ballast on a flat roof.
Using ballast system on a flat roof.
Ballasted roof systems are simultaneously a roofer s best friend and arch nemesis.
Screwing through a flat roof is not good practice as your friends have found out the hard way.
Ballast stone traps a lot of dirt making patching difficult.
The s flex roof frame with ballast is the simple and proven solution for non penetrative green roof compatible flat roof installations.
A ballasted system adds additional weight to anchor the array to the roof whereas mechanical methods cover two key practises either they penetrate the roof covering and are fixed to the deck or they do not and leave the waterproofing system intact.
Flat roofing is not actually flat.
The panels can be mounted east west or south facing or in between depending on roof orientation.
Specifically there are two main reasons to use a ballasted roof system.
Adds a lot of weight to the roof system typically 10 15 pounds per square feet.
There are pod systems available which are free standing and individually ballasted or you can use a mounting frame and ballast that with slabs.
Simply put a ballasted roof is easy to install and basically guaranteed maintenance work for a roofer.
The easiest way to use flat roofs for photovoltaic systems.
Somebody walking on the roof will undoubtedly step on the ballast and put a hole in the membrane.
Ballasted flat roofs are a popular choice especially for commercial buildings.
A number of attachment and ballast options are available depending on the planned system and the conditions on site.
It can also be a bit challenging to find a leak with a ballasted roof system and because the stones tend to collect a lot of dirt patching it can be a bit difficult.
Drawbacks of a ballasted roof system.
The weight provided by the gravel is used to anchor down the roof materials therefore using far fewer fasteners to hold the materials to the decking.
The structure of the roof needs to be able to support the ballast.
There are two fundamental options for fixing a pv system to a flat roof ballasted or mechanical.
Flat roof solar is usually free standing on the roof.
Fixing and installation options.
But such a low slope holds snow and water much longer than a steeply pitched roof and therefore needs a very different material to stay watertight.
It has a very low slope between 1 4 to 1 2 inch per foot so that it drains water.
Holes mean roof leaks and roof leaks mean call the roofer.
Extremely difficult to find a leak in this system since the membrane is well hidden.
A ballast system helps cut roof system application costs as it takes less time to install since sealing the layers together isn t necessary.
The gravel can be applied in far less time than using a specially.
Roofs with pavers as ballast can be used as outdoor patios.
