Your commercial roofing system keeps your building warm, regulates your utility bills, and protects your employees, customers, and tenants from stormy weather, so it’s crucial to ensure your commercial roof stays in tip-top shape.
Performing regular inspections and seasonal maintenance is one of the best ways to care for and extend the lifespan of your commercial roofing system. Keep reading to discover the most important things to keep an eye on—with this roof maintenance checklist.
10 Important Steps to Include on Your Commercial Roof Maintenance Checklist
1. Get a professional inspection.
Before you do any maintenance on your commercial roofing system, it’s wise to hire a professional roofer to complete this maintenance checklist for you.
They can safely walk on your roof and identify underlying and visible damage, including cracks, stains, mold, rot, or missing pieces on your vents, flashing, gutters, and surface membranes that need to be repaired.
2. Clear away debris.
First, your roof inspector will remove rubble like leaves, branches, and trash from your roof.
Debris can prevent water, rain, snow, and ice from draining away from your roofing system, which can lead to the accumulation of puddles that, when left unremedied for long enough, may leak inside your building. Debris also obstructs your inspector’s view of your roof, so it’s crucial to clear away any obstructions before moving forward with the maintenance checklist.
3. Look for standing water.
Next, your inspector will clear away any standing water on your commercial roofing system that may have been caused by debris obstruction, clogged drains, or slow-draining pipes.
Suppose your inspector notices any staining, discoloration, or vegetation growth in places where standing water has been sitting for too long. In that case, they’ll likely conduct a more thorough inspection to ensure there isn’t any underlying damage from the standing water.
4. Check for surface damage.
After your inspector clears away the debris and standing water, they’ll likely take a closer look at the surface of your roofing system.
Usually, your inspector will look for tears, cracks, punctures, blisters, and any other damage that may lead to structural deterioration. They’ll also look for obvious “red flags,” like excessive foot traffic or heavy objects that may cause your commercial roofing system to age prematurely.
5. Evaluate the flashing.
Flashing protects vulnerable spots on your commercial roofing system, like where your chimneys, walls, stacks, or curbs meet the surface of your roof, from water penetration.
When your flashing is cracked, broken, or missing, it makes your roof’s surface more prone to experiencing moisture damage. During your commercial roof inspection, your roofer will replace or repair flashings to protect your building and roof from potential water damage.
6. Inspect the terminations.
Roof terminations are the spots where the roof surface ends (or “terminates”) at a wall. They must be adequately sealed and free of cracks or crevices to keep your roof in great shape.
Your inspector will likely pay careful attention to your parapet walls—the walls that run along the edge of your roofing system. Since these walls are more exposed to the elements, they are more vulnerable to damage and will likely need some extra care during your inspection.
7. Evaluate the roof edges.
Like your parapet walls, your roof edges are more susceptible to damage from the elements, especially during high winds, which are common in Kansas City!
During your inspection, your roofer will secure any loose or lifted edges on your roof to extend your roofing system’s lifespan and protect your employees, customers, and/or tenants from falling debris or roofing materials.
8. Check the penetrations.
Penetrations are the “holes” in the surface of your roof, such as stacks, vents, skylights, and HVAC units. If penetrations are installed incorrectly, they are an area of your roofing system that becomes more vulnerable to water damage.
Your inspector will confirm no gaps, cracks, or crevices exist in the caulking or flashing, ensure the metal objects, like vents, aren’t rusted, and your stacks are capped to prevent moisture intrusion in your building.
9. Clean the gutters and downspouts.
Just like the surface of your roof can accumulate trash, your gutters and downspouts can collect debris too. When your gutters are filled with leaves, twigs, and dirt, they can’t filter water away from your building, which leads to ponding on your roofing system due to improper drainage.
You should clean your gutters at least twice a year—once in the autumn, after the leaves fall, and once in the spring, after the snowstorms and cold winter weather have subsided.
10. Make repairs with a local roofer.
If you notice any damage that needs to be repaired while moving through this commercial roof maintenance checklist, don’t hesitate to reach out to an expert local roofer to fix the problem.
Most flat roofing systems for commercial buildings last for 20-25 years. If your roofing system is approaching this timeframe, no number of repairs will be able to remedy the cracks, tears, and punctures that have developed in your roofing system.
Install New Commercial Roofing for Your Kansas City Building with Christian Brothers Roofing
If your commercial roof is leaking due to standing water, is suffering the effects of damage from hail, wind, or storms, or is causing your energy bills to skyrocket—it may be time to install a new roofing system.
We install a wide range of commercial roofing materials, including TPO, EPDM, asphalt roofing shingles, and metal roofing, to accommodate a wide range of commercial buildings, from schools and apartment complexes to factories and corporate offices.
Learn more about the commercial roofing materials we install for businesses and corporations across Kansas City!
