Four Signs Your Commercial Roof May Not Survive the Winte

Your commercial roof may not make it through the winter. It happens every winter when roofs collapse, spring leaks, or get damaged in a storm. Knowing the signs in advance will help you save the roof and save you money too.

At Chaffee Roofing, we hear about roof problems every day. Our years of experience help us help our clients and prevent those problems from getting worse. We put some of the more common signs of these problems into a post, which should benefit all commercial roof owners.

To help you know the signs that a commercial roof may not make it through the winter, take a look at the following points.

Sagging across the roof

Probably one of the more obvious signs is a sagging roof.

Get up on the roof and take a quick look around. If rainwater is gathering in pools, then you have a sagging roof problem. The deeper the pond, the bigger the problem.

Sagging roofs can quickly develop into huge problems. Rain, snow, and hail can gather in pools and put a lot of extra weight on the roof structure. Your roof may collapse under the pressure, or you may get additional leaks around the building as the roof system stretches and expands beyond its design.

The added weight of a heavy winter snowfall can be a disaster for a weak roof.

Some signs may be inside the building

Not every sign of a commercial roof problem is visible during an external inspection. Often a look around inside your building will point out the warning signs.

One obvious sign is staining from leaks on the ceilings closest to the roof. Other signs can be damp walls or even faulty electrical fittings. We know of a client whose smoke detector alarm was tripping. It turned out that a leak from their roof was causing the problem.

Doors and windows may not shut properly if the roof is under pressure, and sometimes you may even see cracks in the masonry.

If you spot one or more of these signs, call in the experts before it is too late.

Take a look at the structure

Your roof has an inside and an outside structure. Nothing new there, but they both need regular inspections.

It would be best to get a professional contractor to inspect your roof. They will find the danger signs of lifting roofing materials, cracks in seams, and even weaknesses around the AC outlet units.

A close inspection of the internal structure may show dampness, rot, and even cracks or bows in beams and the frame.

If these problems go ignored, then your roof may not make it through the winter.

Age is a terrible thing

Time catches up with all of us, and it is not any different with a roof. If you are in your commercial building for a long time, then your roof may be in danger.

Gatherings of snow and ice on top of old beams are bound to cause problems. Roofing materials more than 20 years in place may crack or split under the pressure of freezing temperatures. One more winter may be too much for your roof.

Have an expert assess your commercial roof and listen to their advice.