Fully Ballasted Roof

If your building is in an area that s in danger of falling debris such as tree branches or heavy foot traffic opt for a thicker membrane such as 75 mil.

Fully ballasted roof.

The stone used for single ply ballast has been sized using astm d448. 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. Somebody walking on the roof will undoubtedly step on the ballast and put a hole in the membrane. The ballasted system ballasted systems the workhorse of the three epdm roofing systems account for approximately 35 percent of epdm installations today.

A ballasted roof also helps protect the epdm membranes from punctures from tree branches. In other states like massachusetts ballast roof systems are illegal in certain towns because of the additional weight it adds to the building. Although a ballasted epdm fully adhered roof comes really close. Because of its reflectivity white epdm is installed using mechanically attached or fully adhered systems.

It is however ballasted generally with gravel. Ballasted roof systems are simultaneously a roofer s best friend and arch nemesis. A ballasted roof means that the roof membrane is not anchored or adhered in any way to the decking material. Simply put a ballasted roof is easy to install and basically guaranteed maintenance work for a roofer.

It can perform well in high winds if it is adequately embedded into the asphalt matrix or is on a roof with a high parapet.