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Flat Roof Maintenance Schedule - Maintaining Your Flat Roof

Unless You Want To Repair Or Replace Your Flat Roof More Often Than Normal, Timely Maintenance Is Required To Keep Your Roof In Proper Working Order.

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Flat Roof Maintenance Is Key For A Long Lasting Roof System

While a good roof costs good money, it should last you a couple of decades without requiring a replacement or any major repairs. However, this is dependent on how well the installation is done and how meticulous you are on its maintenance thereafter. This goes for all roofing types. However, flat roofs are slightly different from sloped roofs, and so are their maintenance regimens.

clogged drain from leaves on a flat roof that needs to be cleaned

Why You Need Maintenance

Proper roof maintenance ensures a roof maintains its structural integrity for longer. In addition, maintenance ensures you stop certain negative scenarios from occurring. This can help slow down or eliminate certain types of damage.

 

Take a TPO roof, for example. You expect to get about 25 years from a new, properly installed TPO roofing system. Proper maintenance will ensure you get this or more.

 

Similarly, you can also get reports on the condition of the roof. These include the stage your roof is in and how much more wear you have. Being a large ticket item, you are better off knowing what to expect early enough so you can begin planning and budgeting for it.

 

The other benefit of flat roof maintenance is that it helps flag problem areas early. This gives you the chance to remedy the issues before they snowball into much bigger problems that will cost you even more to fix. For example, plugging a small leak can cost you a few hundred bucks. But if it’s not sorted out immediately and damages other roofing structures, you might end up paying to have your roof replaced earlier than necessary.

 

The same applies to critters on the roof. The cost of eliminating them early is far much lower than trying to clean up the damage they can leave behind after months of habiting on your roof. The biohazard alone is extremely expensive to fix. In this sense, you can say that proper maintenance saves you money.

 

Proper maintenance will also protect the aesthetic value of your home.

 

One more benefit of having your roof properly maintained is that it gives you some peace of mind. Without proper maintenance, you are never sure of when something will break down, how bad the damage will be, or how much it’s going to cost you.

 

Proper maintenance places you ahead of things. Upon inspection, a contractor will either give you a clean bill of health or a list of pain points to be addressed. If you need repairs, they will have likely been caught early-meaning the repair costs will be minimal.

 

Either way, you will know what you are dealing with at all times, offering some control. And indeed- some peace of mind.

 

Warranty protection is another factor. Every roof purchase ordinarily comes with a warranty. A warranty means the manufacturer can pay for certain damages that occur within the stipulated warranty period. However, warranties carry certain terms and conditions. These include ensuring proper installation and maintenance.

Flat Roof Maintenance Schedule

The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) recommends repair and maintenance to be carried out bi-annually.

 

Flat roofs will have some unique maintenance needs thanks to their angle of inclination. While you will incur some maintenance costs, maintaining your schedule ensures the roof lasts longer, and you save some costs in the long run as well.

 

Here are some tips for maintaining a flat roof:

 

1. Have It Inspected Occasionally

You need to inspect your roof every so often to ensure everything is intact. This should include professional inspections, which should be done twice every year, as discussed earlier.

 

Nonetheless, flat roofs are fairly safe to walk on. This makes it possible to inspect your roof every few months -in between professional inspections.

 

During the inspection, some of the things you want to look out for are blisters, cracks, loose seams, rust, and water pooling.

 

Call your inspector immediately you spot any of these.

 

2. Trim Surrounding Trees

Trees improve the air quality and add value to a property. However, if you have trees too close to your roof, this might be problematic.

 

A tree with heavy branches might damage roofing features near the edge of a roof. Because all roofing parts work together to provide protection, one damaged part begins to damage other components.

 

The other factor to consider is leaves and branches falling on the roof. You would either have to sweep or clean the roof much more often or prune the tree’s leaves. Leaves will pile on one spot on the roof, trapping moisture underneath. For a metal roof, moisture can cause the roof to rust.

 

The other thing is that warm, moist places are ideal for mold and mildew growth. These are unsightly, unhealthy, and exert pressure on the roof.

 

3. Clean The Roof Regularly

Sloped roofs have an advantage in that leaves and debris will likely slide off easily. Flat roofs do not have this advantage.

 

Unfortunately, when debris accumulates, so does moisture. This compromises your roof’s integrity and encourages mold and algae growth as well as get moisture into the seams of your flat roof membrane leading to premature failure.

 

One of the best things you can do to maintain your flat roof is to ensure it’s cleaned regularly.

 

4. Inspect Drainage

Flat roofs are more susceptible to collecting water than sloped roofs. Check your roof for pooling water which is always a sign of poor drainage and is likely the cause of your roof leaking during heavy rain.

 

Pooling spots can often be corrected with some leveling to ensure water is directed toward drains.

 

If you spot any signs of water damage, call your local commercial flat roofing contractor. The risk with water damage is that it might not just be superficial. You need a roofer to come and determine whether the pooling water might have damaged anything else, before rectifying the problem.

 

5. Snow Removal

If you live in a location with heavy snowfall, you want to ensure your flat roof does not accumulate too much snow.

 

Excessive snow can put too much pressure on a roof and put it in danger of ponding water and sagging. When this happens, you can experience leaks, structural damage, and in worst-case scenarios, the roof might collapse, causing extensive damage.

 

The rule of thumb is not to let the snow accumulate over 12 inches without having it removed.

 

5. Check For Undue Stress

Every roof will have specifications on how much weight it can hold. Roofs will typically have HVAC equipment, and the weight of this is usually unproblematic. However, flat roofs can have way more than this.

 

Because they can hold things in place, you will find flat roofs being used as storage spaces and even outdoor sitting spaces.

 

While this is not a problem in itself, everything you place on the roof must be done with its allowable weight limits in mind. Regularly inspect your roof to ensure that you are keeping within limits.

 

Also, check for signs of too much pressure on the roof. Any sagging, especially around items placed on the roof, should be flagged.

 

6. Make Prompt Repairs

Roofing problems need repairs or replacements. A good roofer will advise what you need to do and its urgency.

 

It’s important to heed this advice, as it could save you money. For example, if you have a leak, you want to have it fixed before you experience more water damage that could even extend to the buildings interior. Everything on your roof is interconnected. When one item deteriorates or starts malfunctioning, it affects another element.

 

The primary goal of the inspection is to identify all current and potential problems and have them fixed.

 

7. Get Fixtures Professionally Done

Chimneys, dormers, and skylights increase the aesthetics of a home and even its value. However, you have to be careful with their installation.

 

If you want to maintain your roof in good condition, ensure that all additional features are installed professionally. You might be tempted to do a DIY and save on the labor costs, but this plan might end up backfiring and costing you even more to fix or you might get injured, so make sure to have proper commercial roofing safety equipment before trying to go at it yourself.

 

Such installations, plus satellite dishes, will require puncturing holes on the roof. In addition, when any part of the installation process is done improperly, you will likely damage the roof.

 

DIY fixes can be problematic in many ways, one important reason to call a professional is that you don’t want to void your roof’s warranty or the fixes could come out of pocket.

 

8. Ensure Proper Roof Ventilation

Roof ventilation protects your home against climatic extremities. Unfortunately, these can be detrimental to your roof as well.

 

As such, you need to have a roof ventilation system that adequately pushes out the hot, moist air in summer and inject fresh air into the attic. You also want it to work just as well in the winter to prevent ice dams and moisture in the attic.

 

If these actions fail to happen, your roof begins to show signs of deterioration from cracking to bending to growing mold and mildew. To get the most wear out of it, you want to ensure your roof ventilation is functioning properly year-round.

Final Word

Roofing matters can get complex for people with limited construction knowledge. Unfortunately, you might miss glaring problems with your roof because you do not know what to look for.

 

This is why it’s a good idea to get a professional on board to carry out your flat roof inspections and make recommendations on the roof’s state and its repair and replacement needs. Call Overhead Roofing Of Denver today to schedule your next professional flat roofing maintenance service.

Serving Colorado Springs, Denver, Pueblo And Nearby Areas

We provide exceptional residential & commercial flat roofing services all over Colorado including Colorado Springs, Denver and Pueblo.