4 Early Warning Signs of Commercial Roof Damage
Commercial roofing systems play a vital role in maintaining the integrity of a business or retail space. You must act quickly when roof repairs or a total replacement are needed to avoid causing additional damage to your building.
It’s easy to miss some of the early warning signs of roof damage if you don’t take the time to educate yourself on these early indicators.
1. Interior Odors
Musty odors are typically caused by mold growth. Mold growth is usually associated with water damage, which can be caused by a leaking roof.
Certain strains of mold can be harmful to your customers and employees, so you should never ignore a musty odor.
Most of the roofs on business or retail buildings are flat, which can make it challenging to spot a leak. An experienced roofing contractor will be able to evaluate your roof and identify any damage that needs to be repaired in order to stop any leaks that are supporting mold growth in your building.
2. Visible Water Damage
Many of the signs of water damage are visible to the naked eye. You may notice staining on the walls or ceiling in your business space when your roof has a leak.
Leaks can also contribute to soft spots in the walls and the sagging of the ceiling in your interior space. This compromises the structural integrity of your building and increases the potential for structural failure in the future.
Water damage is not only harmful to your building, but it can also have a negative impact on your wallet. Your liability insurance rates may increase as a result of the risks associated with roof leaks that cause visible water damage.
A reputable contractor will be able to identify and repair roof leaks that are damaging the structural integrity of your building.
3. Increased Energy Costs
The total amount you pay in energy costs for your business each month can tell you a lot about the condition of the building’s roof.
Air from the outside environment can enter your building through cracks or holes in the roof. This air transfer makes it difficult to maintain a steady indoor temperature.
Your HVAC system will need to work harder to keep your building’s interior comfortable when your roof is damaged. The harder your HVAC system works, the higher your energy costs will go.
Temperature fluctuations could damage the products in your inventory or vital assets housed in your commercial space. A roofing contractor can eliminate any roof damage contributing to air transfer so that your energy costs remain stable over time.
4. Blistering Roof Membrane
An experienced contractor can use roof inspections to gather data on the condition of your building’s roof. One of the things the contractor will be looking for is evidence of a blistering roof membrane.
The roof membrane is located between the wood decking and the shingles or foam that make up the exterior layer of a commercial roof. Moisture and air can become trapped beneath the roof membrane over time. This trapped moisture and air cause the membrane to become raised in the affected area, forming blister-like bumps.
If you don’t have a roofing contractor address the source of these blisters and repair the affected membrane, you may experience more leaks in your commercial roof in the future.
Being able to identify the warning signs of commercial roof damage is essential to maintaining your building. If you catch problems early, you can minimize the amount of damage your roof sustains over time.
Contact the roofing experts at Commercial Solutions, Inc. for help identifying and repairing any damage to your building’s roofing system.