The Most Common Types of Commercial Roof Weather Damage and How Professionals Can Fix Them
Weather damage to commercial roofs and how professionals can fix it
Commercial roofs are widely exposed to several weather-related conditions that can severely compromise the integrity of a roof and its lifetime. Knowing the common types of weather damage and how professionals can resolve these issues can be really helpful in ensuring a healthy roof. This blog post takes you through the most common types of damages, the solutions that professional roofing contractors offer.
Wind Damage
Commercial roofs can suffer severe destruction from wind, especially with a storm or hurricanes. Wind can thus lift roof membranes, tear shingles away, and damage the structural parts. Once a roof membrane has lost its protective layer, leakage that may sometimes be substantial as well as mold growth will likely follow.
Professional Solutions: Roofing professionals would assess the wind damage extent and could either provide partial reconstruction of the affected areas or complete replacement. They might need particular adhesives to re-fix the raised membrane; they replace the missing and broken shingles.
If serious enough, the entire roof top might demand a total roof replacement, as it would depend on the age and condition of the roofs.
Hail Damage
Hail damages can be so extensive that it dents, cracks, and punctures the roofing material. It causes a breakdown in the shedding of water from the roof and creates leaks. Hail damage depends mostly on the size of hailstones and the type of roofing material used.
Professional Solutions: Professionals inspect this roof after a hail storm to assess the damaged area. There are minor dents that can be repaired and severe damages necessitate the parts replacement. No area of weakness is left opened in order not to compromise and pose the future leaks for professionals.
Water Damage
Damage from water can be caused by overflowing rain, snow accumulation, and ice dams. Simple improper design of the drainage system allows water to settle on the roof, thereby allowing, over time, seepage in the roofing material which will cause rotting and deterioration.
Professional Solutions. Professionals install or repair the drainage system to ensure that water flows off the roof without any hindrance. Additionally, they may apply waterproofing membranes to ensure effective protection from entry of water into the building. When water damage has occurred, roofing specialists replace the destroyed materials and act to prevent future occurrences.
Sun Damage
Over time, the UV rays of the sun begin to damage roofing materials that have been put on flat roofing. Direct exposure of solar radiation causes cracking in a membrane, fading of colors, and loss of elasticity in the roof membrane, thus weakening its structure.
Professional Solutions: The sun damages the roofing material, and the roofing experts apply the reflective coats that reduce the absorption of heat and UV penetration. Those coats increase the service life of the roofing material while saving energy. In some cases, parts of the roof may be damaged as a solution to restore the durability of the roofing material.
Snow and Ice Damage
Snow and ice may accumulate on commercial roofs when the weather is cold, and this leads to a number of problems. Intensive snowfall could exert too much weight on the roof, while melting of the snow leads to ice dams, preventing proper and natural drainage. The dams can trap water against the roof, which may lead to leaks and structural damage.
Professional Solutions: Roofing professionals can safely clear off extra snow and ice
before it causes damage. They would also advise installing heat cables that melt the snow and ice to prevent the formation of an ice dam. If water intrusion has already occurred, professionals will detect and repair any leaks right away.
Conclusion
Understanding common types of weather-related damage to commercial roofs is indispensable for business owners and property managers. Regular checks by professional roofers would detect potential problems early enough and solve them before they actually become major issues. Correct repair and maintenance approaches can then be used to protect investments and maintain longevity in commercial roofs. Preserving the roof’s integrity also preserves the value of the property, as investing in professional roofing services will not only help preserve its integrity but also enhance its value on a whole.
