Maintenance For Your Commercial Roof!
Maintaining Your Commercial Roof is very important to longevity of your roof.
All roofs breaks down over time. Roof structures today are no exception to breaking down. Most building materials are more durable than others, like stone and steel, but unfortunately the days of roofs surviving thousands of years, like the Egyptian pyramids and Roman cathedrals, is over. Preventive maintenance of your roofs is more important than ever.
Every commercial roof should have a preventive maintenance program in place for protecting it for longer life!
A preventive roof maintenance program consists of two major parts—the inspection and the execution. During inspection, some of the more complex roofs may require special assistance from a contractor. However, for most roofs, an in-house maintenance crew—with a little bit of training—is capable of doing the day to day maintenance. Long term you should consider having a trained professional commercial roofing contractor inspect your roof at least twice a year.
Commercial Roof Maintenance:
Maintaining your commercial roof on any building or facility can be an arduous task!
Often the first line of defense against the elements, on a commercial roof is an important structure that must be carefully monitored and maintained to protect the overall integrity of the roof structure. Leaks in roofs are very difficult to track down sometimes and can lead to damage to interior finishes, unhappy occupants and costly repairs.
When performing the roof inspection, it is extremely important to document the findings and keep them from year to year. It is also necessary to inspect any work that has recently been performed on your roof as those repairs may still be under warranty.
Decaying leaves, pine needles, and dirt runoff can all contribute to ponding water and clogged gutters and downspouts. It is essential that all roof drains remain clear of obstructions. The risk of water pouring into the occupied ares could be a breach in the roof, freezing and thawing of ponding water during the fall and winter months can cause extensive damage to your commercial roof.
Like any other element of a roof, its expansion joints can become damaged. Evidence of damage includes warping, cracking, leaking water, loosening screws and building settlement or moving. When inspecting the roof, be sure to inspect the copings and flashing’s. In roofing, details around penetrations at the parapet wall and around building are very critical to successful projects. This is where the majority of leaks occur. However, in a re-roofing project, even if all the details are done correctly, it may not be enough.
Implementing a Commercial Roof Maintenance Program
The second part of any roof preventive maintenance program is the execution. The information collected during the inspection will help with a budget for needed repairs. It is also important to evaluate the need for protective measures for your roof such as the possibility of roof coatings. A specialty contractor with experience in commercial roof maintenance and restoration can itemize each inspection item and offer specific recommendations for repairs.
If you are in charge of a commercial property that does not have a preventive maintenance program in place for its roof, you should think about implementing one immediately. Being pro-active when it comes to maintaining your commercial roof can save you thousands it replacement cost.
When commercial roofs are not maintained properly, open seams, splits, blistering, wrinkling, and cracking can result. This can lead to expensive damage to a building’s interior and exterior, if not identified and repaired promptly. A roof inspection by an experienced commercial roofing specialty contractor is recommended at least twice a year, preferably in the spring and fall, and after severe weather, such as hail, heavy rains, and high winds, to check for any roof damage.