Roof assets, similar to other structural elements of commercial, industrial, or institutional buildings require periodic servicing to extend the overall lifecycle of their waterproofing and water-shedding systems.
A regimen of roof maintenance serves to extend the requirement for large capital expenditure of roofing replacement. By being proactive as opposed to reactive, one can lower repair costs over time.
A simple annual or bi-annual inspection of roofing assets can be arranged for a reasonable cost.
Routine maintenance actions typically include the following items:
- Internal and external roof drains& guttering (cleaned out/checked for blockage)
- Inspection of the waterproofing membrane (check for splits in seams, blisters, alligatoring, wind scour, control joints, and de-bonding)
- Metal flashings (missing pieces, loose fasteners, de-graded/dried out caulking, poorly done joints)
- Skylights (membrane flashing failure, metal to glass seal failure, poor metal flashing detail, leaks, condensation, split frames, old/warn)
- Pipes, penetrations, and appliances (common failure points that result from building movement, poor flashing detail, dried-out pitch pockets and cones)
- Foot fall traffic (service repairs to HVAC, tenant use, stored items, refuse such as broken bottles)
- External ducting (often the source of “roof” leaks where joints are damaged or ill-fitting and lack of proper waterproofing)
- Masonry walls/chimneys, etc. (associated with roofs such as parapets, can create the illusion of roof leaks resulting from shaled bricks or deficient mortar joints, lack of proper sheet metal capping)
- Sloped roofs (missing shingles, poor/missing flashings, etc.)
- Animal damage (raccoons, squirrels, and birds- creating holes, nests, and resulting damage)
- Substandard design elements/poor workmanship (did you receive substandard results due to cheap or wrong solutions?) Identify what needs to be corrected.
- Weather damage (storms, high winds, hail, freeze/thaw cycling)
- condensation/wood rot/ mould
- Snow & ice removal (winter hazards that can result in a roof collapse, dangerous icicles, avalanche hazard/pedestrian injury)
Identifying any of the above requirements during routine maintenance inspections puts the building owner/manager in control by receiving timely estimates for remedial work and budgeting consideration for the completion of necessary work or phased rehabilitation.
Contact one of our experienced team members at the commercial roofing division of ARR®, with over four decades of proven track record; to assist with your roof maintenance requirements.
