As any business owner is aware, cash is the lifeblood of any business. Anyone owning a company will prefer that inbound cash flows are consistently in excess compared to outbound cash flow. However, extensive damages on your commercial roof can affect your outgoing expenses to the point that it can even get your business in trouble.
Commercial roof damages can make a massive dent on the company’s funds than the obvious upfront expenses in repairs and replacements. If your roofing issues are left unattended, it can start affecting the interior of the building and affect your profitability by ruining your equipment as well as lead to loss of productivity.
Luckily, it’s possible to be one step ahead of these issues by finding the source of roof issues early on to help you take proactive action. Here are a few of the most common causes of commercial roof damage.
Poorly Designed Flat Roofing Systems
Improperly designed drainage is the common cause of roof deterioration. A flat roofing system cannot drain off water from rainfall, melting snow and ice, large amounts of condensation from mechanical equipment, or failed rooftop water storage. The lack of slope for drainage causes the water to pond on your roof.
When the water accumulates on a roof, it can build up an unnecessary amount of weight and cause a substantial amount of stress on the building. The added pressure can cause the roof to sag. In the worst cases, the entire ceiling could collapse. Additionally, ponding water can also slowly erode the membrane surface, allowing moisture to seep through and then under it eventually.
Damaged Perimeter Flashing
The purpose of flashing is to act as the protector of the membrane’s edges. However, it’s also the most vulnerable to any damage compared to any part of a roofing system since it’s located at the point where the horizontal roof deck and vertical surface join.
Over time, flashing can become damaged or lose because of winds and storms which can cause holes, tears, and breaks, and weakness in the perimeter flashing and allow the edges of the roofing cover to get exposed. This leads to moisture and water to seep in the internal roofing system and building and cause leakage. Keeping the perimeter flashing at top shape can minimize leakage in the future.
Age and Poor Maintenance
Many things can get better with age, but unfortunately, your building’s roof isn’t one of them. A roof that reaches a certain age will suffer from general wear and tear.
One of the problems that you’ll see is leakage. Issues arise with splitting seams and shifting vents, among others, which lead to the dreaded infiltration of moisture or even holes in the roof.
The timescale of the deterioration of your roof depends entirely on the material used, the standard of the initial installation, maintenance, and external environmental factors.
However, deterioration caused by natural aging cannot be prevented. At a certain point, most roofing contractors will advise investing in a complete commercial roof replacement instead of constantly trying to repair and deal with individual problems.
Open Roof Penetrations
Roof penetrations include pipes, drains, HVAC units, vents, gas lines, and other items that are routed through the roofing membrane. As these often puncture the membrane, they create a weak point that makes it prone to leaks that can do significant damage to the inside of the roofing system and the building itself.
All roof penetrations are susceptible to leaks, so it’s important to observe each and ensure that they are kept watertight with flashing, field wraps, rain collars, pipe boots, or pitch pans to protect the roofing system from water damage.
Fahey Roofing Contractors is the trusty roofing contractor that will help with necessary roof repairs and replacement. To learn more, check out our residential and commercial roofing services on our website or contact us at (304) 826-1323 for West Virginia or (740) 523-0380 for Ohio.