Help! My Office Roof Leaks and 7 Other Common Commercial Roof Issues

If your office roof leaks it’s a serious issue; one often accompanied by moments of panic as you wonder what’s been affected and how extensive the damage is. The common reaction for a small leak is to place a bucket or rag under the area and wait out the storm.

Is that the wisest way to solve the ‘office roof leaks’ problem?

Not likely. But do you really need to call someone out for a small roof leak? What if it only happens during torrential downpours? Seems like it might be more of an inconvenience in those situations. Right? Wrong. If you’re experiencing a commercial roofing leak, it’s important to understand what type of common roof problems you could be dealing with and what it could mean for your roof and its underlayment.

7 Causes of Common Commercial Roof Problems

While you don’t need to go up on your own roof and start trying to diagnose the roof problem, it’s important to have some familiarity with what could be the issue so that you can better understand the best solution.

Poor workmanship

The number one cause of any roof failure is poor workmanship. If your roof is relatively new (and age is likely not the culprit), it’s possible your installer had issues with the seams, the materials were not properly adhered to the substrate, they used lesser quality materials, cut corners, etc. But poor workmanship isn’t your only issue in these situations. Sometimes the workmanship is so poor that it leads to the roof warranty becoming invalid. That’s why it’s always important to seek quality roofing services. Your roof protects one of your biggest investments. Roofing problem solution: when a leak may seem time sensitive (and it is!) it’s also important to use a good company to ensure they do the work right this time. Staunch the leak and then do your due diligence to find someone who can get to the bottom of the roof problem.

Lack of Roof Maintenance

Your building’s roof requires occasional care and maintenance, even if you select top quality materials from an experienced commercial roofer. The elements, like wind and driving rain, not to mention extreme heat and sun can all wear on the integrity of a roof. Roofing problem solution: even if you experience no roofing problems, keep it that way be scheduling routine maintenance and checks on the integrity and life of your roof.

Shrinking and Cracking

One of the reasons to perform routine checks and maintenance on your roof is because the elements (and that blazing sun!) wear on your roof. If a situation of shrinking or cracking is spotted early, the membrane can be repaired before leaks occur. If it is not diagnosed, the cracking will affect the moisture barrier and you will eventually get water in between the membrane and your substrate. Roofing problem solution: bring in an experienced roofer periodically to check for issues with shrinking and cracking. Maintenance is almost always cheaper than repair.

Hidden Leaks

Some people see a leak in their roof and go up to investigate. When they see nothing in the spot directly above the puddling, they get confused. But the tricky thing with roof leaks is that the water often originates from an area on the roof, snakes down through underlayment materials and rafters, and appears inside in a completely different area than what’s directly above the leak. That’s why it often takes a professional to figure out where the moisture is infiltrating. Roofing problem solution: no matter how much you may be tempted to put dealing with a roof leak off, especially if it stops leaking, don’t. You want a professional to take a look because the roof leak may not be coming from the location you expect.

Punctures

Some commercial roof membranes can be punctured, particularly in storms where there are high winds and objects blowing around. It doesn’t take something extremely sharp, when it’s going at a high rate of speed, to puncture the membrane. Holes let in moisture and they will not repair themselves. Roofing problem solution: if you have easy access to your flat commercial roof, walk it after a storm and note any punctures. Call a professional immediately to assess the extent of the damage. However, it’s important to note that this does not have to be a nine-foot gash in your roof. It could be something as small as a pinprick. So, for complete peace of mind, contact a professional roofing company to perform the check.

Pooling Water

In seasons of downpours or heavy snows, we get a lot of precipitation in a short amount of time. In those cases, sometimes pools of water form. These pools can be heavy and erode the integrity of a roof. This can be an even bigger issue if the workmanship was less than stellar, to begin with. In those cases, already poorly affixed seams can come apart and invite water directly onto vulnerable parts of the roof. Roofing problem solution: be aware of what’s on your roof. When you have a sudden, intense storm or large snowmelt, check for extreme pooling. Some should evaporate with the sun, but if you’re seeing lots of water on your flat roof, call a professional for a roofing assessment.

Tenting or Billowing

If you experience an issue where you can see the roofing materials tenting or billowing, air is getting in. If air is getting in, so is moisture. Billowing and tenting are symptoms of a roof that has not been properly adhered to the substrate or underlayment materials. A properly installed single-ply roof should not do this. If you see this happening, there’s a roof problem even if you haven’t yet noticed interior water intrusion. Roofing problem solution: Do not try to lay down heavy bricks or other materials to keep the membrane from billowing. Instead, call a roofing professional so they can not only fix the problem, they can assess possible interior damage. If you have a leaky roof or other roof problem, don’t put off fixing it. What seems like a small issue could actually be much larger than you can imagine. With additional concerns about moisture like mold and structure damage, addressing things early (or maintaining them on a regular basis) is always less costly in the long run. Call us today and we’ll take care of your roof problem, quickly and professionally. Put your roofing worries to rest by contacting Anderson Contractors today.