People still prefer the traditional way of covering the roof with asphalt in order to keep their house safe from extreme weathers. But that is an outdated method. The latest technique for keeping your electricity bills in control and to protect your household safe from extreme temperatures is to use rubber roofing. The purpose of this article is not the advertisement of a certain type of roofing, but to try to give all the knowledge regarding them to the homeowners.

A new material that is being used to cover the roofs is ethylene propylene diene terpolymer more commonly known as EPDM. There are a lot of advantages as well as a few disadvantages of using this type of roof covering. Both are as under.

Advantages:

There are a number of advantages as well as few disadvantages for using rubber roofing. Some of the advantages are as under.

Cost:

One of the main advantages of using this type of roofing is the cost. The only difficult job after choosing this type of roofing is to select a licensed and experienced installer. But apart from that, not only is the material cheaper, but the overall cost is also considerably less than all the other types. That is because it is a very lightweight product which just has to be glued into place. Therefore, it reduces the installation and labour costs.

Durable:

Another great advantage of using EPDM for roofing is that it lasts longer. As the pieces are cut according to the size of the roof, therefore, most of them are in single piece. Therefore, there are not many joints or seams. Due to this, the seepage of water is reduced considerably. With the advancement in technology, the material has even become stronger against UV rays from the sun as well. Therefore, it can last longer than 50 years on average. It is also offers high resistance against winds as well.

Maintenance:

Unlike other types of roofing, maintenance cost of rubber roofing is next to nothing. If the roof leaks after a storm or due to some other reason, it can be repaired very easily and at very cheap costs. A number of leaks can be repaired by simply using liquid rubber. While in other cases, a special tape that has been specifically designed for repairing rubber roof is used.

Apart from repairs, the rubber roof also do not need high maintenance. Every other type will need maintenance or even replacement after some years. But that is not the case with rubber roofing. The only thing to do that will considerably increase the life is to apply acrylic paint after 10 to 12 years and the rubber will last a lifetime.

Environmental friendly:

EPDM is a very environmental friendly material. Not only is the energy needed on manufacturing very less as compared to other types of roofing material, but the manufacturing is done mostly with recycled materials. Apart from that, the roof is also totally recyclable.

Highly efficient:

This type of roofing is highly energy efficient as well. They not only keep the heat out of the home decreasing the air conditioning costs, but also help to trap the heat inside due to which the heating costs are also reduced. Therefore, it is favourable not only in predominantly hot areas, but also in cold areas as well.

Disadvantages:

Although very less, but rubber roofing has some disadvantages as well. Some of those disadvantages are as under.

Installation:

Although the labour cost is very minimal, the contractor that is hired for installation must be very experienced. Therefore, it is difficult to find experienced installers. The main issue rises if there are any ducts or HVAC piping protruding out of the roof. Because, installing rubber around them is quite tricky. Apart from that, if it is not installed properly around them, they could result in leakage and hence decreasing the efficiency against leakage.

Cracks:

This disadvantage is also associated with the experience. If the EPDM that has been installed has a lot of seams or cuts, the rubber will eventually crack in dry weathers. This will cause the seepage of water and eventually leaks. Therefore, there should not be a lot of seams or cuts apart from the ones that are needed.