04 Jun

NY Roofing Services | NYC Torch Applied Roofing

If you are in New York City and you are thinking of installing a roof, you should know that it’s illegal to use a torch on a wood structure roof in all 5 boroughs. The NYC fire marshall made it a law in 1999, because of an average of 35 roof fires a year caused by this practice. The professionals at Roof Pro couldn’t agree more with this decision. They highly recommend never using torch applied roofs. The potential for personal injury and property damage is just too great.

Torch down roofing is misrepresented in the industry. It is actually not rubber at all but something called APP, shot for Atactic Polypropylene. It uses plastic type modifiers, so you shouldn’t be misled into thinking an APP flat roof contains any rubber. While that is bad enough, the way it is applied is worse. It requires the use of a torch and a propane tank to apply it, which is an obvious fire hazard. Even if it’s an experienced roofer, the dangers of shooting an open flame at your building cannot be underestimated. It’s also very expensive to insure.

You may wonder why anyone would install a torch down roof. The answer is simple, it’s cheap. It’s cheap to buy, and cheap to install using low cost equipment. Don’t be fooled. Not only is it illegal in New York City, a new torch down roof system will start to leak within the first few hot-to-cold cycles because openings start to form at the flashing point. Contact our NY roofing contractors to discuss your options to get a high quality roofing system that will last you many years into the future instead of a dangerous torch down system.