Did you know that every single year, as many as 3,000 commercial roofs collapse in the United States? While in some cases, a roof collapsing was fortunate enough not to harm anyone, in other more tragic instances, people lost their lives.
To make sure you’re never one of the 3,000 annual victims of a commercial roof collapse, here are 4 ways to care for your roof:
- Schedule regular inspections and maintenance
While a roof is generally in a poor condition before it collapses, that condition isn’t always detected in time, especially in the absence of annual inspections and regular maintenance and repairs. If you spot any obvious signs of disrepair on your roof, such as pooling water, leaks or cracks in the exterior wall, be sure to have the roof professionally assessed and repaired as soon as possible.
Even if you don’t see any visible problems with your commercial roof, an inspection will give you the peace of mind that your roof is stable and performing as it should. Using all the latest equipment and technologies such as drones and thermal imaging, even big commercial roofs can easily be checked for damage, and the right roofing inspection team will be able to give you a detailed roof assessment that leaves nothing to chance.
2. Don’t overload it
In some cases, business owners may have added a piece of equipment to the roof that exceeds the building’s load, and while this won’t instantly cause the roof to collapse, over a period of time, the heavy equipment could weaken the structural elements to the point where it collapses – and sometimes without warning.
Always know the structural requirements of your roof and understand whether adding equipment to it, will require reinforcement. You can use platforms and supports to help distribute the weight of the equipment, and make it easier to inspect, too.
3. Be mindful of extreme weather conditions
In recent years, global weather has become more and more extreme, and with an increase in events such as typhoons and hurricanes, there’s a strong possibility that your roof will experience a weather event it wasn’t designed to withstand. To prevent against roof damage, or collapse, understand the weather patterns in your region and reinforce your roof accordingly.
4. Remember the age of your roof
All roofs, commercial or otherwise, will eventually reach the end of their lifespan and be too far gone for repairs and patch-up jobs. If you’ve had your roof for many years, it’s important to keep a close eye on it, and better yet, to schedule more regular inspections so that you can determine whether it needs to be replaced, before it runs the risk of collapsing.
There are several ways to increase the longevity of your commercial roof, but they almost always involve help from a professional roofing contractor. Fortunately, there are plenty of reputable roofers around who can help you preserve your roof, or replace it for you when the time is right.