Flat Roof Fire Protection

While its not designed to be a water shedding system because it has a low pitch flat roofing can still protect your home from leaks and severe weather.

Flat roof fire protection.

Skylights typically cover a small portion of the roof but they can still provide an entry point for wild fire. A rooftop fire can result in ignition of the underlying combustible roof deck if the mass of surfacing membrane and insulation is inadequate to thermally protect the deck from reaching its ignition temperature. In many cases a thinner roof system will have better fire performance because it contains less fuel to feed a fire. Steep roof above 4 12 slope 29 cfr 1926 501 b 11.

A flat roof looks and performs very differently compared to a traditional sloped roof such as shingles tiles or metal. An exterior fire retardant treated shake roof has a stand alone class b rating. Particularly with a class a roof it will be the fire resistance of the siding sheathing or window that will determine the vulnerability of the complex roof not the roof covering itself. Common underlying materials include a type 72 roll roofing material also known as 72 pound felt or 72 pound capsheet material and a panelized gypsum product called densdeck.

Roof deck protection allows moisture to escape from your attic while providing an exceptionally strong layer of protection against wind driven rain. Fire protection the building regulations approved document b4 sets out certain specified performance levels of surface finishes on flat roof to control the spread of flame. Roof insulation fire performance before the latest amendments to adb the key fire consideration for flat roofing was requirement b4 which covered the resistance to fire from the outside of a roof system where achieving f ac to bs476 3 in the past and now b roof t4 gave unrestricted distance to the boundary of the building. Surface protection should be light in colour because it will provide good solar reflectiveness and emit absorbed heat more efficiently.

Additional fire protection methods for roofs according to the national roofing contractors association homeowners should keep tree branches trimmed and away from the roof. Flat skylights contain tempered. There had previously never been a limitation on the reaction to fire of any component of that roof build up. A new roof is more than just shingles.

Also roof deck protection lies flatter for a better looking roof. However in terms of durability a thicker membrane i e. Low slope roof 4 12 slope or less 29 cfr 1926 501 b 10. More plies or a thicker single ply membrane may well be a better more durable roof.

Not only do branches scratch and damage roofing materials if they catch fire they can ignite the nearby house.