Winter Preparation for Commercial Roof Systems

Although it’s the least visible part of your commercial building, your roof has an important job to do: keeping your facility safe and dry so your operations can continue to run effectively.

Inspections – whether you do an informal look-see yourself or hire a roofing professional such as Sentry Roofing – help with winter preparation for commercial roof systems by identifying problems and planning for severe weather.

That’s especially important now that colder weather is on its way.

Is Your Roof Ready for Winter?

Months of hot summer sun, stormy weather, ponding water, temperature extremes and rooftop foot traffic can have a negative impact on your building roof system. In addition to these usual causes:

• Was there any rooftop HVAC repair or maintenance performed recently? The flashing and surfaces around that equipment need to be inspected after HVAC work to ensure that damage was done to the roof near the units during repairs.
• Have you had any renovations done to your building – an addition or other alterations to the structure? These types of changes can affect the integrity of your roofing system and those “transition” areas should be evaluated to ensure they remain weathertight.
• Is your roof older and in need of a general inspection to forestall the effects of weather and aging with timely repairs? Everything exposed to weather and sun degrades, especially roof surfaces facing the full force of UV radiation, temperature changes and all manner of weather conditions. Appropriate maintenance can add years to roof system life, allowing capital to be invested in business applications rather than the rooftop.

Fall into early winter is the right time to perform an inspection of your commercial roof to find any damage or weathering that may be present and ensure that small problems don’t turn into big expensive ones. Inspecting now, before extreme weather arrives, means that potential problems are easier to spot and correct.

Conduct a Winter Roof Inspection

Most importantly, a timely winter roof inspection can help assure that your roof will be able to handle whatever Mother Nature has in store for the coming months.

At a minimum:

• Conduct a visual inspection of your roof. Look for unsecured objects that can cause damage if they tumble or scrape across the roof in windy conditions. Remove leaves and other debris that can clog rooftop drains. Roofs that don’t drain properly can fill up quickly and lead to a lot of water weight and potential damage to your building structure. You don’t want that to happen when snow begins to melt in the spring. Also keep any eye out for loose roofing membrane (especially around the perimeter) and other unsecured building components.
• Fall colors are spectacular, but once the leaves drop, where do they go? Decaying leaves that have gathered on your rooftop can block drainage, and branches can fall, damaging roof surfaces. You should trim trees that overhang your roof or are close enough to drop debris.
• Have a roof-problem contingency plan. If a potential roof leak could disrupt your building operations, you should have a plan of action in place to protect your staff, visitors, electronics, equipment and supplies. Now is a good time to evaluate and communicate how you will handle facility procedures in the event of a problem, and to review rooftop safety policies.

Call the Experts: Sentry Roofing

For a detailed evaluation and maintenance program that is more thorough than what you may wish to handle with your own staff, contact the pros at Sentry Roofing. We have more than 36 years of experience installing, inspecting and maintaining commercial roofing systems. At Sentry, we offer a formal, comprehensive roof inspection and maintenance program to commercial building owners and managers.

Our detailed inspection report will include photos of the roof system and all rooftop components including walls and parapets, scuppers, drains, vents curbs and other flashing details. We will clearly explain the condition of the complete roof assembly to determine the most cost-effective course of action to maintain the existing roof system. We’ll also work with you to plan an effective strategy for replacing your commercial roof when the time is right.

If your roof does need immediate replacement, Sentry can handle it with the Duro-Last roofing system. Among Duro-Last’s advantages is that it can be installed year-round without compromising the system’s ability to deliver long-term protection. As a Platinum Contractor for Duro-Last, Sentry has been recognized for decades as a national leader in sales volume and in the consistently high quality of our commercial roof installations.

Whether you need a roof inspection, maintenance, or possible replacement, contact Sentry for professional courteous roofing services. We welcome the opportunity to work with you in cost effectively managing your rooftop environment!