Your roof provides vital protection for your building, so it’s important to look after it well. That means carrying out preventative roof maintenance to keep it in good condition and spot any problems before they become serious. But how often does a commercial need maintenance? We’ve put together some essential tips on the routine maintenance your roof will need.
How Often Should Preventative Roof Maintenance Be Carried Out on Commercial Buildings?
Frequency of Preventative Maintenance
As a general rule, preventative maintenance should be carried out on a commercial building at least twice a year. As a bare minimum this would include an inspection by a professional roofing company as not all faults are obvious or clearly visible.
The inspections should be timed to take place in autumn and early spring. This will provide sufficient time for any repairs to be done before the worst of the winter weather arrives, and to check again for any damage once it starts to warm up.
Factors to Consider
Although an inspection twice a year will be sufficient for many roofs, some may require more frequent checks. This depends on various factors, which we’ll look at next.
Age
An older roof is more likely to develop a problem and to be less likely to cope with bad weather. Even the best materials start to deteriorate with age which means they might require more frequent maintenance work and checks.
Surrounding Vegetation
Heavy vegetation isn’t good news for roofs as it can lead to debris building up from leaves, twigs, and branches. If there is a lot of vegetation around your roof, regular cleaning will be needed to prevent a build-up of debris. Vegetation dropping on your roof can clog gutters and lead to water pooling, which in turn can cause substantial damage. Therefore, you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of keeping your roof clear.
Foot Traffic
Roofs don’t particularly like lots of foot traffic but if you have lots of equipment installed on the roof, access may be needed for maintenance and repairs. If this is the case, it’s advisable to have more recent checks as foot traffic can cause more rapid degradation. There’s also the risk that workmen may cause accidental damage or leave debris on the rooftop.
Recent Weather Conditions
Particularly severe weather conditions can be difficult for roofs and may lead to damage. Heavy snow, storm winds, tornadoes, and hails can all cause damage to roofs beyond the usual wear and tear. Even just a sudden change in the temperature can be a problem, causing thermal shock. This leads to rapid expansion and contraction in the roof materials which can cause the roof to warp, split, or crack.
If your roof has recently been exposed to more extreme weather conditions, you might want to schedule your routine maintenance sooner than usual.
Preventative maintenance typically includes an inspection, clearing debris, and repairing minor problems. If you’re in the Southwest, Southeast, or the Midwest, we’d be happy to help. Get in touch with us here at Platinum Roofing in Sheridan, AR to make an appointment.