Commercial Roofing: Evaluating Your Roof

Identifying signs of potential commercial roofing problems before leaks begin will save time and money.

Sometimes signs of a roof problem are obvious, such as the edge flashing tearing away or peeling back. Once this happens, you should know to immediately contact a roofing professional like Roofing Professionals of Texas.   Below are common types of commercial roofing and problems that indicate roof leaks or conditions that could signal the potential for leaks. If you observe these signs of trouble, contact a roof professional to help determine next steps. For guidance on choosing a roofing professional like Roofing Professionals of Texas, please see Hiring a Roofing professional like Roofing Professionals of Texas. For information about metal coverings on a parapet wall or expansion joints, please see “Evaluating Flashing and Coping.”

Commercial Roofing

Built-Up Roof (BUR)/Modified Bitumen (MB):

INSPECTION CHECKLIST

If any of the following conditions are present, see section D (Water Damage) below.

·         Bubbles / blisters;

·         Ridges – membrane blisters in longitudinal form;

·         Cracks in the membrane;

·       Excessive wear around connections to parapet walls and connections to penetrations through the roof such as hatches or curbs for roof equipment;

·         Tears and punctures through one or more layers of the cover;

·         Long-term standing water – evident by the presence of mold or vegetative growth;

·         Excessive weathering resulting in loss of embedded gravel for BUR;

·         Excessive weathering resulting in loss of granules for MB;

Single Ply Membrane (SPM):

INSPECTION CHECKLIST

If any of the following conditions are present, see section D (Water Damage) below.

·         Membrane tenting / shrinkage – pulling away from the edges

·         Excessively loose membrane

·         Worn seams

·         Brittle membrane or adhesives used to repair seams

·         Membrane tears, punctures, cuts

·         Gaps in membrane

·         Mechanical fasteners / screws “stand-off” or backing out

·         Long term standing water – evident by the presence of mold or vegetative growth

Sprayed Polyurethane Foam (SPF):

INSPECTION CHECKLIST

If any of the following conditions are present, see section D (Water Damage) below.

·         Excessive weathering (which can erode the SPF or caused loss of the acrylic coating)

·         Long-term standing water – evident by spot loss of acrylic coating or the entire SPF

·         Tears and punctures through one or more layers of the interplay

Water Damage – BUR, MB, SPM, SPF:

Signs you could have a water damage problem:

·         Visible water damage from below a roof deck will depend on the type of roof cover system and roof deck, as well as the amount of damage. Some roof cover systems can absorb an extensive amount of water. Prolonged trapped moisture can result in corrosion and premature degradation of the deck.

·         Gypsum, wood, and cementitious wood decks with roof leaks will show water stains on the underside of the deck.

·         Steel, lightweight insulating concrete on steel form deck, and concrete decks will not show early visible signs.

·         Even if roof leaks are not visible from below in a monolithic deck such as a structural concrete slab, prolonged roof leaks may eventually be visible along a perimeter wall or by spauling from the bottom surface. This will depend on the size of the leak, duration, and location relative to the slope of the roof to the wall.

Metal Panel (Structural):

STANDING SEAM METAL PANEL

Roof Inspection Checklist: If the answer to any of these questions is “yes” there is a potential problem.

·         Is there deformation or bending of the standing seams?

·         Is there any delamination or opening of the standing seam?

·         Are there visible leaks near the clip screws penetrating the deck?

·      When fiberglass batt insulation is present below the metal panels, are there water stains?

NOTE: Even if roof leaks are not visible from below, prolonged roof leaks may eventually be visible along a perimeter wall. This will depend on the size of the leak, duration, and location relative to the slope of the roof to the wall.

Lap Seam / Through Fastened Metal Panel:

Roof Inspection Checklist: If the answer to any of these questions is “yes” there there is a potential problem.

·            Are there worn gaskets / washers between screw heads and the metal panel?

·         Are there under-driven screws (sticking up) that could allow water to penetrate between the screw and panel?

·         Are there overdriven screws (too far in) that are deforming the gasket / washer?

·            Are there visible leaks near the screws penetrating the deck?

·            When fiberglass batt insulation is present below the metal panels, are there water stains?

NOTE: Even if roof leaks are not visible from below, prolonged roof leaks may eventually be visible along a perimeter wall. This will depend on the size of the leak, duration, and location relative to the slope of the roof to the wall.

Water Damage – Metal Panel (Structural):

If the roof has any of the above conditions in Section E, contact Roofing Professionals of Texas 469-906-2600.