Have you ever caught yourself having a full-fledged conversation with an inanimate object?

Maybe you yell at the traffic light when it turns red before you go through.  Maybe you talk really nicely to an ailing lawnmower to coax it into giving you just one more pass before it fails.  There are many times in life when we catch ourselves talking to something that can’t talk back.  But what if we were to tell you that your commercial roof talks to you all the time, if you’d just pay attention?

Your rooftop is probably begging for maintenance, and if you aren’t paying attention, those cries will get louder.  Rooftop maintenance isn’t a way to get you to spend more money, it’s a way to save you money in the long run.  You can either address the needs of your commercial roof now, or replace it prematurely if you choose to ignore its pleas.  That means more money and more headaches.

You should automatically pencil in two scheduled commercial roof maintenance visits every year.  We usually suggest before and after the winter.  If you get us out in the spring we can assess the damage from the harsh Northeast Ohio winter, and then we can come back in the fall to get you ready for the next round of white stuff.  But if you haven’t had maintenance done in a while, you might not have time to wait.

Here are five hints that your commercial roof in Cleveland might be offering to influence a roof maintenance visit:

1) Puddles are for sidewalks, not your rooftop.
Yes, it’s natural to get some water on your rooftop from time to time, but if that water sits for longer than 48-72 hours, it’s not okay.  Dips, low spots and puddles are all indications that the support below your roof’s surface are failing and need attention.  A dip now becomes a hole later.

2) Those brown spots on the ceiling aren’t from your morning coffee.
Brown spots on your ceiling are more than an eyesore.  Yes, they are ugly, but that’s also your building’s way of telling you it’s time to check on that roof.  There might be other signs showing up in conjunction with those spots like mold growth or a mildew-like smell.  Pay attention to these indicators, and don’t wait.  The longer you ignore these symptoms, the more damage is done to your rooftop.

3) The life of your rooftop might be… FLASHING.. before your eyes.
Failed flashing is a huge culprit for damage on a commercial rooftop.  If the flashing is bent, rusty or damaged, it could be an indicator that water has a way to seep through.  Sometimes, if caught early enough, the solution is just to re-seal the flashing.  If damage is done, then it might be time to replace sections of flashing.

4) Things are worse than they SEAM.
The waterproofing materials on your commercial rooftop are held together by seams that prevent the water from getting through.  Whether it’s metal, screws, clips-whatever is in place, it needs to be maintained for maximum efficiency.  If you are seeing a gap in those seams, you are looking at a source of water damage.  Commercial roofing maintenance visits include seam inspections.

5) Burst the bubbles.
If you see a bubble in your roof, it means that water has gotten underneath and is warping the materials.  What do we know about bubbles?  They burst.  And when that bubble erupts, it creates holes in the roof that can be major problems.  Not only that, but bubbles can redirect the path that usually provides the escape route for water to leave the roof causing puddles and water build up.

If you don’t already have two maintenance visits in the annual plan for your commercial rooftop, it’s time to add them.  Contact Warren Roofing® and allow our experts to address commercial roofing maintenance in Cleveland.  We promise we won’t tell anyone your roof was talking – we hear it too!