Markanich Theorem - Inappropriate repairs are inappropriate.
Just like AB = BA and a straight line is the shortest distance between two points (except on a globe).
The roof - flat EPDM.
The repair - goop.
The repair - inappropriate.
EPDM is a good roof if installed correctly.
It is a synthetic rubber produced by the Firestone Corporation.
I actually went to the Firestone facility years ago and had a 5 day class learning about their products and proper/improper installation thereof.
Their were 20 other home inspectors in that class of 50 or so. It was very smart of them to invite so many home inspectors.
Goop is never a proper repair for a leak in an EPDM surface. Over time the posts began admitting water. When something like that is seen by a homeowner it has gotten bad. I don't know who did these repairs, but they are inappropriate.
Measuring the columns directly under each post they both registered moisture. It has not rained in four days, and this post (measured in the sunlight to make sure there was no dew to influence the device) registered 23% moisture. The colored gage is the one to use to measure wood. It only goes to 30% because wood is considered saturated at 28%. So this wood is wet. Necessarily - the goop is cracked! It's an inappropriate repair!
My recommendation: homeowners should have things done right! Can homeowners do repairs themselves? Yes. And there is a BIG caveat attached to the word yes. The caveat is - KNOW WHAT THE HECK YOU ARE DOING BEFORE YOU DO IT! If you don't, you are likely making the problem worse. The above isn't the only inappropriate repair to that roof. It's a mess. That's my theorem, and I'm sticking with it.
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