Virtually the only negative for a rubber roof is appearance and even that drawback can be overcome with the use of rubber shingles or acrylic paint.
Rubber roof shingles problems.
Epdm roofs are fully adhered or as many call it glued down.
At that point leaks start penetrating these weak points.
One of the biggest reasons a rubber roof can fail is from improper.
The system is not attached mechanically.
A properly installed rubber roof will withstand wind uplift up to 110 mph and as you may guess most hail stones up to 2 inches in diameter will bounce off the rubber shingles rather than breaking them.
While the rubber roofs are known to be durable they also need maintained.
Possible environmental effects of chemicals in the runoff from these roofs though certainly not unique as those issues occur with other roofing products as well including epdm metal and asphalt roofing.
Because rubber shingles are so sturdy there are few problems with their actual shipping use installation or long term effectiveness.
Three most common problems with rubber roofs is improper installation shrinkage and the seams.
Using the wrong roofer to install a rubber roof can lead to problems down the line due to incorrect installation and can even negate a warranty on the rubber itself.
They are far more cost effective and lighter in weight than slate tiles but they are easily at least four times the cost of asphalt shingles.
You will find warranties offering hail protection for stones up to two inches that s bigger than the size of a golf ball in diameter.
Rubber will inevitably shrink leaks another inherent design problem is that after a few years this roof membrane simply begins to shrink slowly pulling away from parapet walls flashings corners drains and other areas.
Odor complaints tracked to rubber roof shingles made from cut sections of tires or similar products.