EPDM?

Can you please confirm this is EPDM? No UV protection? Thanks.

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Vent stack flashing…

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Another view, it is my understanding that EPDM is typically a large membrane lacking seams.

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Kenton wrote this: http://www.nachi.org/epdm.htm He would know. PeaktoPrairie@msn.com

Mark, that looks like EPDM, which has good UV resistance, but it looks poorly installed. It should be stretched tight over the roof. EPDM typically shrinks after installation. The seams are sloppy too.

EPDM comes in different sizes including rolls 10 wide, which is what that looks like. It’s available in larger sizes. That roof could have been done without seams, but is looks like a homeowner went to Home Depot and charged right into the job. It should be glued down. I don’t see any fasteners and it’s obviously not ballasted.

Looks like a Poorly installed Torch applied Modified Bitumen . The wrinkles are usually a result of the cap sheet installed beneth the roofing,or they went over a wrinkled hot mopped roof.

It can be glued or heated.
Modified bitumen would be hard and thinner,feeling more like shingle material, while EPDM is a little spongy and thicker.

As Kenton stated it is already UV resistant.

Seeing the flow on the seems is a give away to me that it is Modified Bitumen .Could be wrong but in a previos life I was in the Roofing buisiness and we installed thousands of squares of the stuff up by you Bob. Easiest way to tell is EPDM is like an innertube, Glued,ballasted or fastened with batten strips usually in 10’ wide rolls,Modified is typically 1 meter wide mopped or torched down

The EPDM should be stretchier. You photos looked like the material might have had a network of cracks, which I would not expect to see in EPDM but might in mod bit.

EPDM is basically vulcanized rubber and mod bit is basically asphalt that has been chemically altered to be more durable and flexible.

Looks like modified bitumen to me too. I’ve ran plenty of jobs with EPDM to be installed on the roof and that just does not look like it.

Put your Tramex or other conductivity non-destructive moisture meter on it. (make sure it’s dry underneath)

EPDM is a conductive rubber (one of the few, but there are others). It will show a positive moisture reading everywhere. Mod bit will not.

V/R
Mark

Hope nobody Needs to go That far

I agree, all we have around here is EPDM and looks no where close to those photos.
This is an EPDM roof here;

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/4355484879_3699bc2b8b.jpg

And here;

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/2431194119_2e1c58e85b.jpg

:slight_smile: