5 Commercial Flat Roof Maintenance Tips

Maintaining your commercial property will require an investment. Not just in cash, but in sweat equity too. To maintain the roof of your structure, you need to make contact with roofing companies to provide roof maintenance at least twice a year. When you have Toronto roofers come to your building, they can detect damage when an inspection is scheduled.

When problems are identified, they will provide a roof leak repair. Hailstorms, windstorms, rainstorms, and snowstorms are threats to the roofing system. After significant weather events, a quick inspection of your roofing system should reveal if damage has been done. If the damage is discovered, it must be dealt with immediately before the problems spread, and create more problems.

Tips to keep your roof solid and performing at optimal levels

• One of the biggest problems a roofing system faces is water. It will destroy a roofing system if you don’t pay attention to the signs that indicate water damage. On a roof, a low spot can harbour water ponding. After heavy rainfall or an intense snowstorm, water will accumulate at the low areas of the roof. That puts pressure on your roofing system. Watermarks or water ponds will tell you that you have problems that need to be addressed by your roofing contractor.
• Your roof’s drainage system is the only defence your building has to water buildup on the roof. You must keep the drains, gutters, and scuppers clear of any debris to keep the drainage system operational. After an intense windstorm or other weather events, check to see if there is any debris of leaves blocking the drainage system. In general, the inspection of the drainage should be done twice a year. A roofing contractor will tell you that a proactive approach to inspections is a good thing, and checking on damage anytime is encouraged.
• In the winter, the challenges a roofing system faces are numerous. Freeze-thaw conditions that occur during a winter’s day will be what cause damage on the roof. Splits, cracks, ridges, and blisters will be the result causing surface stress. If the last roofing company that worked on the roof has provided poor workmanship, it is a threat to your roof’s well being. When you see a blister on your roof, it has come from air or moisture being trapped between roof layers. The result is that it separates the layers, and causes problems for the roof membrane, and a potential replacement.
• Any flat roof will be a landing area for any debris that flies around in the air. Vegetation, leaves, and tree branches can be a source of the problem here. When debris accumulates, it works as an anchor for other debris to attach to. Once it biodegrades, it will absorb moisture, and it creates stress on the structure of the roof due to the added weight. This is an easy fix to remove any organic materials from your flat roof upon discovery.
• In Canada, we get snow in the winter, that is a given. The best-maintained roof suffers from heavy snowfall, creating leaks and sags. The impact the weight has on the joints and seams can be a collapsed roof if the snow isn’t removed after a snowstorm.

Get Expert Assistance to Maintain Your Commercial Flat Roof

Keeping your roof in tip-top condition is easy if you follow the basic steps outlined here. The first step, though, is to contact a qualified, flat roofing contractor, to get advice on the needs of your roofing system.

Also Read: Maintenance Tips to Prevent Roof Leaks