If your commercial property has a flat roof, you should inspect it twice a year and maintain it. The roof inspection is best performed in the spring and fall seasons. Regardless of the type of cladding that covers your flat roof, you need to maintain the roof to extend the life of your flat roof.

Maintenance Tips To Make Your Commercial Flat Roof Last

To achieve this, here are some practical maintenance tips to add several years to the life of your flat roof.

  • Check Your Built Up Roofing System: Built up roofing systems on flat roofs (BUR) is the most common type of roofing material used on low slope roofs. These are usually tar and gravel roofs and are composed of several different layers of different material to help prevent standing water. These roofing systems need to be check at least once a year in the Kansas City area as we have harsh winters and hot summers.
  • Clean Your Flat Roof Regularly: The flat roofs generally collect more debris than pitched roofs. The debris which gets collected in the flat roof leads to moisture retention which in turn disturbs the integrity of the roof and it will damage your roof severely. The water retention can also cause algae and moss growth.
  • Regular inspection of the roof has to be done: If you live under a flat roof, you should inspect it at least twice a year and ensure that your roof does not have any cracks, loose seams, rust, and blisters. If any cracks or blisters are present then you need to fix them immediately. Otherwise, your roof will start to leak and cause problems. You can also contact a licensed roofing company to inspect your roof.
  • Trim the tree branches around your house: You must regularly trim the overhanging branches from the trees in your surroundings. This is because the overhanging branches will add weight to your roof and it will drop its leaves on the roof, forming debris.
  • Maintain proper drainage system: Generally, flat roofs must have a proper drainage system. If your flat roof has stagnant water then it is a sign of poor water drainage system. Flat roofs must be slightly sloped in the middle to avoid water standing on the roof.
  • Check out for undue stress on your roof: It is very important to check out for undue stress on your roof. Since it is a flat roof we can store or place things on it. If too much load is placed on the roof and if your roof is not strong enough to bear the weight it will collapse causing severe damage to your house. So be very careful about the weight you add on the roof.

During the winter season, the snow which gets accumulated on the roof can also cause stress to your roof. So it must be removed.

  • Cleaning the rain gutter: The rain gutters must be cleaned frequently. The leaves, moss and other wastes will block the rainwater from flowing down the gutter and leads to water stagnation. So cleaning the rain gutter is highly recommended.
  • Use a reflective roof: If it is time to rebuild a flat roof, consider using a reflective product. The reflective products can reduce the roof surface temperature by up to 38°C (100°F) and reduce your cooling bills by up to 50%.

Other tips for flat roof maintenance:

  1. If you have a bitumen roof covering, then it must be inspected during every season. This is because the bitumen becomes softer in summer, while it breaks more easily in winter since it becomes harder. To prevent unnecessary damage to your roof, it is therefore important to choose a good period to check your roof. 
  2. You should not have any hazardous materials placed on your flat roof. If the hazardous material gets exposed to the roof material it may cause severe damage to your roof.

A commercial or industrial building often covers a good area. You can also have an annual roof maintenance and inspection plan since it is a big investment and it is essential to maintain it. The purpose of this maintenance plan is to maintain the life of your roof between 15 and 30 years depending on the choice of your flooring.

Double the Lifespan of Your Commercial Flat Roof

The lifetime can double if the maintenance is done well.  Fix minor issues to avoid major problems. Repairing your roof is important if you do not want the water to seep further. If the water goes to the insulation, it loses its insulating properties which is the element of the roof that is expensive. It is always better to maintain them than to have bad surprises in time. In the long run, you can also save a lot of money, and you will be happy you did.