Summer is officially here and if you haven’t already done so, now is the time to make sure that your roof is ready to handle 3-4 months of scorching hot weather, heavy rainfall, and potentially high winds. Commercial roof maintenance is crucial in extending the longevity of your building’s roof. Here are a number of things you should look for when running through your summer roof cleaning checklist.
Remove Debris From the Roof
Any time the seasons change, especially to warmer weather, you should make sure to remove any and all debris that you can from the roof of your building. Removing branches, sticks, leaves, rocks, and other unwanted debris will reduce the potential of tears occurring on the membrane of your roof.
Clean Out the Gutters
In the same manner that you need to remove debris from the membrane of your commercial or industrial roof, it is just as important that sticks, leaves, and other debris are not clogging your gutters. Clogged gutters can be disastrous for both your roof and your entire building in the event of rainfall. If water cannot freely flow through the gutters and away from your building, it can pool up on your roof and cause severe warping from the immense weight. On top of that, if water is overflowing from the gutters and oversaturating the ground around your building, the foundation can become unstable.
Look for Sign of Ponding Water
When looking at your commercial roof, do you see small discolored circles appearing? That occurs when water is ponding up but evaporates before you can see it. If you see these stains throughout your building’s roof, it means that your roof is struggling to in one way or another
Inspect the Flashings
Flashings play a crucial role in making sure that water doesn’t gather below the surface of the roofing membrane. When flashing is properly installed and working, the reinforced membrane will lay flush with the membrane of the roof, ultimately creating a more secure installment in stressful areas of the roof. Different types of flashings like stack flashings, curb flashings, and corner flashings require extra attention during an inspection since they carry a lot of the roof’s stress. When the flashing is not laying flush with the roof, it’s an absolute necessity that it is fixed in a timely manner to avoid structural damage to the roof or foundation of your building.
Check That Parapet Vents Are Cleaned Out
The parapet vents on your building’s roof allow your building to properly ventilate. If these vents are clogged from debris or are damaged in any other fashion, it’s critical that you have them fixed or replaced by professionals.
Get Commercial & Industrial Roof Maintenance
The Duerson Corporation has been serving Iowan and Midwest businesses with over 30 years of commercial roofing experience. Whether your commercial building needs regular maintenance, a roof leak repair, or entire roof replacement, our professionals can do it in a timely and cost effective manner. If you have any questions about the current status of your commercial roof or would like to get a second opinion on an upcoming project, contact us about a free roof analysis. We look forward to hearing from you!