bubble on EPDM roof by the seam

[iceandland]

I have a bubble forming on the roof along the seam. it is about .75" wide and goes along the seam until it dissipates about 12" from the beginning. I am looking to repair by cutting and re attaching by glue and tape. I am concerned that the seam has some tension that will cause it to want to pull away further from the roof. Does anyone have any guidance on how they would repair?

thanks

[wanderingbob]

I have several times with the same situation drove brass carpet tacks into the roof and taped or eternabond over .

[ksg5000]

Mont G&J wrote:
Leave it alone. Never cut a perfectly good roof covering that is not leaking. Often times those bubbles come and go with temperature changes.

X2. If you have cut it then you should consider a small Eternabond patch.

[alfredmay]

Leave it alone. Rubber roofs are put on two ways at the wall seams. The cheaper way is what you seem to have where the plywood roof meets the sidewall and a strip of gutter attaches the rubber roof to the sidewall. There is a small space that can form between the sidewall and the roof plywood. There is nothing for the roof to grab onto so as the roof ages and stretches a bit a bubble will form.

The better way to cover the roof is by using a small radius piece to transition from the plywood roof to the sidewall.

[Lynnmor]

I would remove some caulk and look under the membrane for signs of water intrusion. If there is a problem, remove all the caulk in the affected area and fix the problem. If there are screws under there, they are probably rusted if water got in.

[Lwiddis]

I like gbopp’s idea. Insert needle to determine if it’s water, then repair...one way or the other.

[iceandland]

Thanks for all the response. I did stick a hypodermic needle in it with the back off to see if I could get it to lay flat. It didn't work. The bubble popped back up. No water came out either, so that is good.

[gbopp]

Mont G&J wrote:
Leave it alone. Never cut a perfectly good roof covering that is not leaking. Often times those bubbles come and go with temperature changes.

I agree to not slicing open a solid roof.
Maybe the OP should just insert a needle into the bubble to make sure there is no water?
Then repair the needle opening(s).
The bubble is on the lower section of the roof. I would want to know if there was water in the bubble.

[Mont_G_J]

Leave it alone. Never cut a perfectly good roof covering that is not leaking. Often times those bubbles come and go with temperature changes.

[kellem]

Yes, hopefully it's not caused by water intrusion.....otherwise slit and Eternabond.

[bukhrn]

If there's water under that bubble, you might have a far larger problem.

[Home_Skillet]

Cut a slit in the bubble to make it lay flat.
The apply a wide strip of Eternabond over the repair.