IBR Roof Leakage Repair in Ghana — Complete Guide (2026)
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IBR Roof Leakage — Four Places It Actually Comes From
IBR roofs almost never leak through the sheet. They leak at screw fixings, side laps, end laps and flashings. Find which of the four you have and the repair is straightforward. Guess wrong and you will seal the wrong thing three times.
The Four Leak Paths
| Leak path | How to recognise it | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Screw fixings | Drips directly below a screw line; rust ring around head | Replace screw + EPDM washer, butyl patch over |
| Side laps | Wet line running down the length of a lap | Butyl tape along the lap, or lap sealant |
| End laps | Leaks only in heavy driving rain | Increase lap, seal with butyl |
| Flashings | Water at wall junctions, ridges, valleys | Fleece-reinforced polyurethane |
1. Screw Fixings — The Most Common by Far
Every screw is a hole through your roof. It only stays watertight because of a rubber EPDM washer compressed under the head.
In Ghana those washers face UV index 11+ and daily thermal cycling. They harden, crack and stop sealing — typically within 8–12 years, sooner on coastal roofs. Meanwhile the sheet expands and contracts every day, slowly backing the screw out.
The correct repair:
- Remove the failed screw entirely
- Check whether the hole has enlarged — if so, go one gauge larger
- Fit a new screw with a fresh EPDM washer, tightened until the washer just compresses — not crushed
- Apply a butyl tape patch over the head
What not to do: squirt silicone over the old screw. It looks fixed, traps moisture underneath, and the sheet corrodes from below where you cannot see it.
2. Side Laps
Water climbs upward between two overlapping sheets by capillary action — the gap is narrow enough to defeat gravity. On a shallow pitch it travels far enough to reach the inside edge.
Fix: lift the lap where possible and run butyl tape along the full length, or apply butyl over the lap externally and press hard. On a long run, overlap tape pieces by 50 mm.
3. End Laps
Where one sheet ends and the next begins. If the overlap is too short for the pitch, driving rain pushes water back up under the lap.
| Roof pitch | Minimum end lap | Sealed? |
|---|---|---|
| Above 15° | 150 mm | Optional |
| 10–15° | 200 mm | ✅ Butyl tape |
| 5–10° | 250 mm | ✅ Essential |
| Below 5° | Not recommended for IBR | — |
4. Flashings
Where the roof meets a wall, ridge, valley or parapet. These are cut-and-fitted on site and are the hardest detail to get right.
Fix: fleece-reinforced polyurethane carried across the junction and up the vertical face at least 150 mm. Tape alone is not enough at a flashing that moves.
The One That Isn't a Leak
Condensation. Drips appear on the underside of the sheet on cool mornings, spread evenly across the roof, and there is no rain. That is warm moist air hitting cold metal, not water getting in.
Sealing the roof makes it worse. The fix is ventilation, or insulation on the underside — which is where spray foam or a proper insulated liner comes in.
Coastal IBR Roofs
Within 15 km of the ocean — Tema, Sakumono, Prampram, Takoradi — salt attacks cut edges and screw heads first. Treat corrosion before sealing anything; coating over active rust simply hides it while it continues.
What You Need
- Leak Seal Tape — GHS 250. Screws, laps, small repairs. Bonds on wet surfaces.
- Waterproof Spray — GHS 200. Awkward corners and pinholes.
- PU Coating 10kg — GHS 1,000. Flashings, valleys, box gutters.
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