As a business owner, your typical day is busy and chances of you thinking about your roof are slim. The only time you will find a business owner thinking of renovating his/her roof is when it’s leaking. Instead of waiting, conduct regular maintenance of your commercial roof and extend the life of both your business and the roof.
Proper maintenance will be costly but think of it as an investment rather than an expense. If you think you can’t afford regular maintenance, think of all the days you’ll have to close your business because of leaks or the inventory you will lose, or even accidents as a result of poorly maintained roofs.
So, how do you maintain your roof?
8 Simple Commercial Roof Maintenance Steps
1. Annual Inspection
How old is your roof? When was your last commercial roof repair and who were your commercial roofing contractors? What is the dominant roofing material?
Compile a list of all important details and update every time you carry out maintenance works. This will help you keep track of all the repairs and how they impact your roof.
Know the age and status of the roof as it will be easy to assess and diagnose the damage. For example, a newly installed roof that’s leaking will most likely be a gutter issue. Whereas, an older roof that is experiencing the same problem could be as a result of a more profound issue.
Hire a local roofing company to conduct any inspections of your roof. Such an inspection should contain a written analysis of the condition of your roof system. Schedule follow up observations to track the wear and age patterns. After the inspection, you can now plan on how to conduct maintenance.
2. Formulate a Plan
Using the written analysis of your roofing system, highlight the areas that need replacement. Formulate a maintenance plan that captures all aspects of your roof. A well-executed plan will not only extend the life of your roof but it will also detect problematic areas before it’s too late.
3. Clean the Roof Regularly
Dirt and debris are inevitable, especially if you don’t clean your roof regularly. Debris will collect in your gutter and eventually clog them. Clogged gutters will inhibit proper drainage, which eventually leads to rusting and leaks.
At this point, your best option is to clean and unclog the gutters. This will prevent water overflow that will, in turn, strain your gutter exposing the vulnerable parts.
Regular cleaning prevents buckling by removing the unnecessary weight on the roof. It also inhibits the growth of moss, mold, and rot.
DON’T scrape your roof or use a pressure washer to clean your commercial roof. Both methods will only result in further damage to your roof.
4. Trim the Branches
If your structure is located close to trees, trim the nearby branches to reduce gutter clogging. It will also reduce the risk of roof damage in case the branches are ripped from the trees as a result of bad weather. Check if there are any branches hanging over your commercial roof and trim them.
Ensure that the branches are at least 10 ft. away from your commercial roof to keep away pests and rodents.
5. Prompt Repairs
Replace any broken, buckled or missing shingles. Replace or seal metal flashing around the roof penetrations by using a non-hardening acrylic or silicone sealant.
Use roof patching to seal corroded sections or leaking parts of the gutter. If done properly, these small fixes could prevent major repairs or larger problems over time.
6. Look and listen
Listen to your roof every time there is a big storm for squeaks and scurrying. Look for things such as missing shingles, loose flashings or anything that is amiss.
Look for damaged flashing around the chimneys, vents, and skylights. Most of these problems will be easy to fix. Thus, do it before the cost of fixing the damage escalates.
7. Remove Standing Water
This mostly affects flat roofs, since the steep is not significant enough to drain stagnant water. At first, stagnant water on your roof might seem harmless but the more you ignore it the higher your damage cost increases. Therefore, try to fix the problem early or seek commercial flat roof repair services.
8. Schedule Regular Maintenance
Hire a professional roof contractor to inspect and conduct repairs where necessary. Preferably, hire a local contractor who has extensive knowledge about the area and its weather conditions.
They will have an idea of what to look for and the best materials to fix your roof. Schedule regular maintenance and drastically reduce the risk of roof damage.
What Are the Main Causes of Roof Damage?
The roof is designed to take hits over the course of its lifetime. However, it still needs regular maintenance to contain or prevent damage from:
- The elements (hail, snow, wind, sunlight, rain, etc.)
- Poor installation techniques
- Change in building use
- Biological growth such as plant debris or blue-algae
- Inconsistent repairs and maintenance
Why Should You Maintain Your Commercial Roof?
The main cause of roof related problems is always a poorly maintained roof. It covers a significant part of your building and yet it receives the least maintenance. If not well maintained, the roof can drastically shorten the lifespan of your roof.
Therefore, why is commercial roof maintenance so important?
- It increases the lifespan of your roof and reduces the cost of repairs by spotting the problems early. It doesn’t matter whether your roof is old or new, roof maintenance is important at least every few years.
- You won’t know that your roof has a problem until it starts leaking. Regular maintenance will notify you if any there are areas that need repair or areas that need fixing before it is too late.
- Regular maintenance will save you time and money when installing a new roof. If your roof is well maintained, some of the existing carpentry and insulation can stay in place to support the new roof.
Extend the Life of Your Commercial Roof by Conducting Regular Maintenance
The roof is arguably the most vulnerable part of a building. Therefore, it requires regular maintenance. If you need roof maintenance and repair services, contact us and get the best commercial roofing contractors.
