How to repair a leak on a flat roof with Tar and Gravel - I show my trick of over 35 years

Not many Hot Tar and Gravel Roofs still exist, but for the few out there, this video will show you how to go about fixing or patching a leak on such a roof.
Super Silicone Seal and Turbo Poly Seal store:
FTC Affiliate Disclaimer - I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Chapters:
0:00 Tar & Gravel Roof Leak Repair
0:28 Don't repair if blisters exist
1:40 Tools needed
2:15 How to Remove the Stone
4:05 Found the leak
6:50 Turbo Poly Seal

[@Viralnode]

Your generation will be greatly missed, y’all got things done!

[@FlatRoofDoctor]

i am getting old, you are right, and tired

[@hendranugroho4789]

I thoroughly enjoyed your explanation. Watching from Indonesia.❤

[@christaylor4477]

Been Roofing 23 years. I like your insight. Great job

[@saber7even371]

Love the share of knowledge from this type of roof. I'm from trinidad and an aspiring roofman. So being exposed to various types of roofs is pretty fun for me. Love your videos

[@FlatRoofDoctor]

Very cool!

[@user-vo4do6nu7d]

Thankyou! Great info. Also I was staring at that little chunk of rock feeling anxiety until you noticed it :)

[@markmcneil7040]

These are great videos man! I've been shingling for 15 years but never really touched flat roofing, always been curious about it. Especially curious about how they repair gravel roofs. I love the preparation. I do gutter repairs and it is the same thing - clean the surface, fasten and secure the gutter, then sealing it is easy! I have a video about it lol it's almost the same video, just for a gutter instead of a roof. Thanks for sharing this!

[@shirleytyree276]

Excellent video thanks so much!

[@BrianB1963]

Thank you so much my friend, very helpful!

[@handymanlondon]

watching from London. Nice repair.

[@conniegallardo4411]

Thank you for this tip

[@csidun9087]

Thank you… great information!

[@nicholasfleck9155]

I'm a commercial roofer the product he's using is excellent,we use a similar product called alsan

[@cplusroofing-roofingreplac3568]

Hi Dr Thanks you for all your sharing. I have learn alot from you in these years. I did use turbo ploy seal. Its like a magic product.

[@FlatRoofDoctor]

Thanks for sharing

[@karleck1119]

Great informative video.

[@FlatRoofDoctor]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@triswinfield9481]

Really helpful! Thanks for sharing and giving back the knowledge you earned. How does the bergstromm polyseal do under ponding water for years?

[@sauloozuna5913]

Great Good job

[@ryanloerzel1]

Thank you for sharing the info on repairing the roof. After you place the turbo seal do you replace the removed tar and gravel back over the repaired area?

[@truthorbare2020]

Thanks. I need to do my parents roof.

[@Dafprinces1]

Gran trabajo

[@FlatRoofDoctor]

gracias

[@joeycmore]

Hi Doc, thanks for the help. I have a gravel flat roof (17 x 30ish) with a commercial tenant below; they say my roof leaks and I say it's their ridiculous huge air-con unit. There's water getting in, but it follows the ductwork and can't be pin-pointed. My question is, can I use turbo poly over the gravel to seal up the roof and halt my end of the problem? A thin coat over the gravel (they make rollers which will work for this), fleece it then roll another coat over top... voila -new roof!

[@lorenzoaceto1894]

Great video I have a roof like this on my house with a slight pitch. I looks like it needs to be entirely replaced soon. Or do you recommend trying to salvage ?

[@MrMoss786]

Preparation, Preparation Preparation then repair. Excellent advice. Thanks for the video. You're a treasure of knowledge. Only one thing confuses me, when is it best to use super silicone and when to use turbo polyseal. Thanks a million

[@FlatRoofDoctor]

On Asphalt I use Turbo Poly Seal, on EPDM I use Super Silicone Seal. They both can be used on metal transitions. Turbo Poly Seal is still a superior product. It is stronger.

[@Vickayicky]

Hi there! I was wondering if the gravel was placed back or not ? Thank you :)

[@ocvegasproperty]

Did you add more tar in that corner afterwards and throw rocks on top of it? Thanks!

[@Pontiacdreams]

Where do you place the hot tar gravel, once removed

[@michaeljenner4799]

Thank you. Does the tar and gravel go back over the repair? Michael J from Edmonton Canada

[@pinnkoranges]

Where do I buy the polyester material?

[@roofmaster4403]

Does not look like the original installer used copper nails to fasten the gravel stop. Big corrosion problems when you mix regular galvanized or even aluminum nails with copper flashings. Question: what did you do with the lighting rod?

[@L110508]

I don't have that torch to remove the sticking gravels, can I just swipe away gravels that can move, and pour flex seal or rustoleum on it?

[@jasonfisher9134]

can you put your rubber roof approach on this after removing all the gravel to give it a new roof?

[@johnnichols2710]

Great tradesman. Not worried about just collecting the money but cares about doing it right.

[@christaylor4477]

So we don't cover it with gravel after? I do many BUR roofs in Boston

[@wendellbrown1043]

I live in northern British Columbia Canada. How do i order the various products that you recommend so i can repair my flat shop roof?

[@chinhtran7184]

Do you do service in San Jose, California?

[@Yo-broski]

I wouldve put karnak trowel grade adhesive then do a target with cap sheet and then 3 course around the cap sheet using adhesive .,Fiber glass karnak screen ,then reput the adhesive then ad granules but i mean some people do stuff different 🤷🏽‍♂️ im a commercial tech and thats usually how we do it and it lasts multiple years and tbh it doesn’t take long maybe 20-30 min but its more secure

[@rooferonhigh7124]

Would you have done the same amount of prep work?

[@Ann-zd4yk]

I have a slightly sloped roof. Can I hire you ?

[@happydays454]

Thats so hard to find the leak on my roof i just went up there every weekend and scraped and put some turbo poly seal

[@notimportant3686]

if the nails rusted, you have to reattach the copper flashing first before covering it with anything... why wouldn't you at least take a couple of copper nails an nail it down?

[@Unknown-hu4gf]

Can you just do torch down after getting up the gravel?

[@FlatRoofDoctor]

nope, torch down will not adhere to asphalt. You will need Karnak 81 Trowel to adhere a membrane to asphalt

[@Unknown-hu4gf]

@@FlatRoofDoctor Or some good screw anchors to attach a membrane "right"?

[@jvv1300]

You may find a 4 inch chip brush makes the work go faster

[@FlatRoofDoctor]

yes, you are right. That is all had at the time

[@BADMAN802]

Why is your Turbo poly seal so expensive and that was before inflation? Also why do you seem to distance yourself from your own product? You promoted the product in most of your videos. Seems like you would get more sales being truthful to your subscribers. Your Bergstrom website made me kind of skeptical about ordering because of all the evasiveness. Please share or comment.

[@gregorypowell9132]

Couple of questions. First, I'm sure you added additional fasteners to the loose gravel stop. But, did you use copper nails ? You did say it was copper. They probably used galvanized nails on copper. Which tells me the entire edge has no fasteners left. Never use steel nails on copper. Second, does the polyseal come in colors?

[@FlatRoofDoctor]

I did not add more fasteners. I agree using different metals is an issue. The Turbo Poly Seal only comes in brown

[@benjaminlee5096]

Why would anyone use that kind of roof anymore

[@FlatRoofDoctor]

You got the wrong idea. These are existing roofs that could still be repaired. I don't think there are many roofing contractors left installing these types of roofs.

[@benjaminlee5096]

@@FlatRoofDoctor yes that is what i meant. It seems to be a very old way to do a roof and it is not repaired easily. One thing i look for in a roof is how easily is it repaired because it will have a leak at some point

[@johnnichols2710]

@@benjaminlee5096 thise type of roofs last about 2 times as long as newer types. The rock on the roof reflects and protects from UV. Proper slope and drainage during framing process is crucial