Although flat roofs aren’t common when it comes to residential houses, plenty of commercial buildings have flat roofs. A flat surface on the top of a commercial building allows a lot of room for HVAC systems, direct access for repairs, and is generally easy to maintain. However, to help you keep your roof in good shape, we will go through a few maintenance tips for your commercial flat roof, which can help you extend its lifespan and prevent simple issues from developing into expensive problems.
Regularly Inspect Your Roof
One of the best ways to prevent minor problems from escalating is to notice and fix them in time. Therefore, we recommend that you conduct regular roof inspections. Exactly how often you need to inspect the roof will vary depending on where you are located, the amount and type of vegetation surrounding your building, what the temperature is like, and how much rainfall you face. A rough estimate would be to inspect the roof at least 2 to 4 times a year.
A good time to inspect your roof is after a storm or heavy weather. Winters can be particularly damaging to flat roofs due to snow and low temperatures. If you think there is something wrong with your commercial property’s roof, we strongly suggest that you thoroughly inspect it before winter arrives. Of course, you can also check your roof in the spring when the bad weather has cleared up. The spring checkup would give you an indication if there was any damage during the winter.
You might be able to carry out a basic inspection yourself, but we still recommend hiring professionals to perform the inspection occasionally. Roofing experts from New Jersey can also give you maintenance tips for your commercial flat roof and estimate repair costs. Professionals will have access to more gear, such as drone and satellite surveillance, and they can spot issues you would probably miss.
Check for Cracks
When performing an inspection of your commercial flat roof, you should be on the lookout for cracks. Of all the things that can go wrong with your roof, cracks can probably cause the most damage. Thankfully, they are also easy to spot. Cracks on most roofs will occur over time due to the natural process of the aging of the materials. Depending on the coating system used on your roof, you can expect it to last between 5 and 10 years. After that time, you will need to re-coat, repair, or even replace the roof. If you notice any cracks on your roof, we recommend contacting professionals for flat roof repair from New Jersey.
Also, remember that extreme temperatures and sudden temperature shifts can cause cracks in your commercial flat roof. Global weather has recently been particularly unpredictable, and it could cause damage to your roof. For this reason, we recommend being particularly vigilant if your building is located in an area with temperature extremes.
Fix Any Leaks
Unfortunately, if you notice that your flat roof is leaking, you probably already have a severe issue on your hands. It would be best if you don’t delay and immediately call for emergency roof repairs. If left untreated, the leak will continue to spread, and water can cause critical damage to your building which can be difficult and expensive to repair. Leaks typically occur after heavy rainfall, so we suggest inspecting the office ceiling if it has been raining.
Check How the Water is Draining
Unlike slanted roofs, typical for most houses, a commercial flat roof can accumulate a lot of water if it hasn’t been installed correctly or if there is something wrong with the drainage systems. Fortunately, you can quickly check if your roof is retaining water and how well the drainage system works. When it’s raining, you can go up to the roof and see if the water is getting carried away faster than it is accumulating. If there is something wrong with the speed at which the water is being drained, you should immediately inspect the gutters and leaf guards. It’s also a good idea to check the roof after the rain has stopped to see if there are any remaining puddles. This will tell you if the roof has been installed correctly.
Remove Debris From the Roof
We mentioned how essential inspections are for the maintenance of your commercial flat roof; however, you shouldn’t be just an idle bystander. If you notice any debris on your roof, you should remove it. Leaves, branches, or dirt will clog up your gutters and cause unnecessary strain on your drainage system. How much debris accumulates on your roof will depend on the height of your building, the strength of the wind in the area, and the number of surrounding trees. If there are tall trees surrounding your building, we suggest you do some landscaping and remove any branches hanging over your roof.
How to Organize Roof Repairs
Even if you regularly maintain your commercial flat roof, you must schedule repairs at some point. However, organizing commercial roof repair comes with some caveats. Unlike in residential homes, there is probably no attic space and an office-filled floor directly underneath your roof. This can make work in the office difficult while the roof repairs are ongoing. We suggest trying to organize the repairs during a holiday, or maybe some of your staff can work remotely for a while. To access the roof from both sides, you might need to entirely vacate the top floor, which includes moving all of the furniture out of the office. Thankfully, you can turn to experts in the area who can organize a commercial move in New Jersey. You can rent temporary storage for your furniture and office supplies or even move them to another floor in the building.
In Conclusion
Now that we’ve given you some maintenance tips for your commercial flat roof, we hope you have a new understanding and appreciation for roof inspections. If you apply these tips, your roof will be able to serve you for decades.
