A ballasted roof means that the roof membrane is not anchored or adhered in any way to the decking material.
Roof ballast rock.
Next the membrane is rolled over the insulation 2.
The buildup is ballasted with a gravel layer of at least 50 mm and 80 kg m 2.
The single ply membrane and other roof components including thermal insulation are loose laid.
Over time the stones move around creating bald spots where the system isn t held down at all.
Ballast stone can crush the underlying insulation creating weak spots in the roof membrane.
In windy areas ballast stone can actually blow off the roof creating projectiles below.
The stone ballast on a ballasted roof system is the only thing holding the roof system in place.
It is however ballasted generally with gravel.
Stone ballast is no longer allowed by many building codes.
The gravel top coat is also extremely resilient to heavy foot traffic and high wind scenarios.
There are no fasteners installed at all 3 and 4.
The insulation is loose laid onto the decking.
Despite the positive qualities associated with a ballasted roof system there are some challenges.
The ballast is used to keep the roofing system cool and of out of the sun s harmful rays thus keeping energy costs down.
Gravel ballasted roofs with sikaplan or sarnafil single ply membranes are conventionally installed.