Running a business is hard enough without having to worry about a ceiling leak ruining your inventory or making the sales floor slippery for your customers. Most business owners forget about the roof until they see a water stain. However, winter is the most punishing season for any commercial building. With cooler temperatures, your roofing material is working overtime to keep the elements out and the people, technology, and inventory underneath it safe.
If you take some time to walk around and check the status of your roof now and schedule a professional inspection once each year, you can stop a tiny crack from turning into an emergency that forces you to close your doors for repairs.
Inspect the Flashing and Seals for Cracks
Flashing is the metal material that seals the edges of your roof and the areas around vents or air conditioning equipment. The seals can often pull apart and leave a gap for moisture. This is because metal and roofing membranes expand and contract at different rates when temperatures get colder.
Look closely at the corners and the “boots” around pipes. See if the caulking is brittle or missing and check for rust. You can easily see these issues when you use a pair of binoculars or a smartphone with a high-quality zoom lens. A small gap in the flashing may seem like no big deal. However, this is how leaks start.
Check Your Roof for Piles of Debris
A major challenge for business owners in this area is the accumulation of fine desert dust and dried needles from palo verde or mesquite trees on the roof. While it doesn’t rain often, a single winter storm can wash all that settled dust into your drainage pipes.
At this point, it turns into a thick, heavy mud that blocks water flow. If your scuppers are clogged with this sediment, water will build up on your flat roof and sit there for days. The dry desert air cannot evaporate it fast enough.
This standing water is incredibly heavy and can seep into tiny pinholes that would otherwise stay dry. Have a roof professional clear your gutters and check for silt buildup near your drain covers. They will also remove debris from the roof. When those desert rains do arrive, the water will leave as quickly as possible without causing structural stress.
Have a Professional Inspect the Membrane for Blisters
If your business has a rubber or TPO roof, cold weather can reveal problems that were hidden during the summer. Ask a professional roofer to walk the surface and look for any “blisters” or bubbles where the roofing material has pulled away from the insulation board below.
These bubbles often contain trapped moisture that will build up, eventually causing the membrane to pop and leak. Catching these soft spots now prevents the rot from spreading to the rest of your roof and saves you from a premature roof replacement.
If it has been more than a year since you had your roof inspected, now is the time to schedule a visit from a professional roofer. Roofing pros have tools and techniques to find and fix problems that you as a business owner cannot. To protect your commercial space in Mesa, AZ, call Overson Roofing for a commercial roof inspection.