This is an older VROOF project from around four years ago. At the time, I was rebuilding my work and this became one of the projects that helped me move forward again. The job involved an existing waterproofing membrane system, rainwater coming from the metal deck, membrane repair and the installation of a new gutter to improve how the roof runoff was managed
The Existing Condition
The existing waterproofing was a mineral-surfaced membrane system. In the area below the metal deck, sections of the membrane had already started to deteriorate where roof runoff repeatedly discharged onto the waterproofed surface. Instead of looking only at the damaged membrane, I also had to consider how the rainwater was reaching this area.
The Repair
The repair focused on two things: restoring the deteriorated membrane areas and reducing the repeated rainwater discharge onto the waterproofed surface. Damaged sections were prepared and repaired, and an additional torch-applied membrane layer was laminated over selected areas of the existing membrane. A new rain gutter was also installed along the metal deck to collect and redirect roof runoff away from the repaired waterproofing
Why I Added the Gutter
Repairing the membrane alone did not address the repeated rainwater discharge from the metal deck. I added a new gutter to collect and redirect the runoff instead of allowing it to keep falling directly onto the waterproofed area. From my experience, waterproofing still needs maintenance, especially in areas that receive concentrated rainwater. I did not treat this repair as a promise that the membrane would last for a fixed number of years. The aim was to repair the deteriorated area and improve the way rainwater was managed.
What I Learned
Looking back at this job, one thing I learned was that repairing the waterproofing surface was only part of the problem. When rainwater is repeatedly concentrated onto the same area, I also need to think about how the water reaches and leaves that area. On this project, I repaired the deteriorated membrane and added a gutter to change the way the runoff was managed. It did not mean the waterproofing would never need maintenance again, but it was a better approach than repairing the damaged surface while leaving the same water condition unchanged.