Do you know your commercial roof can last anywhere from 15 to 40 years? The life expectancy of your commercial roof mainly depends on the type of roof you have installed.
However, this does not call for you to sit back and relax. Despite your roof’s huge life expectancy, you should always be on the lookout for roof damage signs.
Weather, installation design, and how well maintained your roof is can affect the life span of the commercial roof. If your roof develops problems and you fail to notice, you risk facing expensive repairs in the future.
Besides, if your commercial roof has issues, it can lead to structural instability. Not to mention a leaking roof can cause irreversible property damage. If you haven’t checked your commercial property’s roof for a while, it’s high time you do so.
But do you know the various roofing problems you should look out for? If not, worry no more.
Here are 7 common commercial roof problems that you should look out for
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Poor Installation
When you hire professionals to install or repair your roof, the last thing you expect is poor installation. Roof installation and repairs errors are likely to arise if the contractor is not keen.
If your commercial roof is not properly installed or repaired, it cannot withstand the test of time. Besides, a poor installation or repair might cause other serious roofing problems.
That’s why you should always ensure experienced and licensed commercial roofers are working on your roof. If you notice your roof is not uniform or has hardware blunders, it’s a sign your roof might not be installed appropriately.
Besides, if your roof leaks sooner after installation or repair, it’s a sign installation or repair was not appropriately handled. In such a case, you should contact an experienced roofing expert to resolve such issues.
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Lack of Maintenance
Some serious roof issues, such as severe water leaks, might originate from not doing minor maintenance. Roof damage is unavoidable if your gutters haven’t been cleaned for a while or have not trimmed overhanging branches.
Clogged gutters can lead to the formation of ice dams. Overhanging branches can easily fall over your roof, causing it to collapse. But with proper on-time roof maintenance, you can prevent some serious roof problems from happening.
This way, you will save yourself from costly repairs and extend the lifespan of your roof. Ensure to carry out roof inspections annually.
You should hire professionals to carry out the annual roof inspection in most cases. This will ensure no roof problems will be left out.
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Flashing Issues
Flashing is one of the areas overlooked during commercial roof maintenance. However, it’s an essential part of your roof.
Its role is to direct water away from given areas of your roof, such as the walls, roof valleys, and chimneys. If the flashing is not properly installed, water will penetrate such regions.
However, even if the flashing is properly installed, over time, it will degrade. Extreme weather conditions can make the flashing shrink, bend, or even tilt.
If this happens, water will leak and cause imaginable damage to your property. To avoid such a scenario, you should always leave the flashing installation to experts.
You should also hire roofing experts to inspect the flashing annually.
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Ponding Water
Commercial roofs are designed differently from residential roofs. Residential roofs are more sloping, making it easy to drain water.
For commercial roofs, they have a little incline. Buildings with equipment such as air conditioners might have completely flat commercial roofs.
When it rains or snow, such roofs trap water leading to the development of water ponds. Over time if stagnant water is left to settle on your roof, it can damage the roof.
If you notice the presence of ponding water on your roof, it’s better to call roofing experts. Request them to facilitate proper drainage.
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Roof Blow Offs, Billowing, or Tenting
Roof blow-offs are common when the roof is not adequately adhered to the substrate. The type of roofs most prone to roof blow-offs is the singly ply roofs.
This is because they are more vulnerable to wind uplifts. A suction force is created when a strong wind blows off a commercial roof. Such force easily pulls weak roof materials off.
To avoid such a scenario, you must ensure roofing materials are applied appropriately and allowed to curl. To ensure the application is handled correctly, ask the contractor to provide you with your area’s building code.
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Roof Shrinkage
Roof shrinkage is a common issue prevalent with single-ply roofs. If you have a roof made up of EPDM, the first thing you should have inspected is roof shrinkage.
When roof shrinkage occurs, the flashing is likely to pull away from the wall. Uncured membrane located at the flashing perimeter might also crack in the process.
The best way to prevent roof shrinkage from getting worse is by doing a regular inspection. If your commercial roof is single-ply roofing, ensure to carry out at least two inspections per year.
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Roof Surface Erosion
When your commercial roof has existed for a long time, one of the common issues that might arise is surface erosion. Roof surface erosion can be in the form of blistering, ridging, or splitting.
Roof surface erosion is common to BUR roofing systems. But if you have a single-ply roof, this problem can also occur.
The most effective strategy for avoiding roof surface erosion is hiring contractors who are certified.
You Now Know the Common Commercial Roof Problems to Look Out For
If commercial roof problems are discovered and handled early, you can avoid costly future repairs. But if you don’t know the common problems to look for during inspections avoiding costly repairs might be impossible.
Read the above 7 common commercial problems to look out for and get it right.
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