Great business products, a strategic office location, loyal customers, hardworking employees…
All these factors bring success to your business. Entrepreneurs like you are aware of such things and do you do your best to maximize your resources.
But there are certain aspects that building owners pay less attention to because they don’t often see them. Since they don’t often deal with it, they forget it.
Can you guess what it is? That’s right, your industrial roofing system.
For that purpose, we’ve written this article to bring more focus into industrial roofs.
More specifically, you’ll discover everything you need to know about industrial roof repairs – their importance, signs you need a repair, and how to choose the best industrial roofing contractors that can truly help.
The Importance of Roofs and Industrial Roof Repairs
Business owners don’t give their roofs much thought and think that they don’t really play a role in their success.
It’s such a shame knowing that our roofing systems work day and night to protect everything we out to optimize in business – our physical and human assets.
Industrial roofing systems serve as a building’s first defense against sun, rain, and wind, and other elements.
Because of these factors that speed up your roof’s deterioration, they need your attention. Ideally, roofing systems should benefit from industrial roofing services such as inspections and repairs.
Resources suggest that roof servicing has to be done twice a year. But in cases of severe weather and hail storms, your roof will require immediate attention.
Don’t be like the typical business owner who gives little thought to his roof until it gets an issue. Timely repairs are essential and provide you the following advantages.
1. Keeps water and moisture out
A roofing system won’t be able to function well if its integrity is compromised. The most common problem that result from this is water penetration. We know what’s running on your mind… Roof leaks.
Even the slightest amount of moisture can undermine your building’s structural support. Can you image other negative consequences of moisture?
Softened wood material. When moisture affects the wood material in your building, this attracts wood destroying insects such as termites and carpenter ants.
Moisture does not only serve as a good environment for pests to thrive. It also facilitates the growth of mold – a seemingly simple yet risky situation for everyone’s health.
Safety hazards are also commonly associated with leaks. Imagine puddles of water on the floor that cause accidents. Slips, falls, and electrocutions are no joke.
As an employer, remember that you are responsible for the safety and welfare of everyone inside your building.
2. Increases the resale value of your building
We recently published a case study where we’ve demonstrated how we helped a client deal with his 100-year old roof.
Our client named Victor Dubois needed to sell his building. But he had a problem: His roof had multiple leaks. He knew he needed to have it replaced with a new one if he was going to make a profit out of his building.
Cox Roofing came to help. What we did was that we repaired everything on his roof that needed to be fixed.
We installed on his roof our very own Tri Thermal Roofing system (a combination of EPDM and spray foam) to eliminate all roofing issues. These included not only leaks, but also increasing energy bills, noise, and pest infestation.
You see, servicing your industrial roofing will surely increase its resale value. That is, of course, if you plan to sell it in the future.
The roof above your head is a selling point. Any updates that you make that improve its appearance and function attract high paying and willing buyers.
3. Improves your energy efficiency
Energy efficiency is another good reason to keep your roof in perfect condition. This is one aspect that building owners are less aware of.
While a fully functional cooling system minimizes your energy usage, a damage-free roof does the same.
Inefficient roofs, roofs that have punctures and decrease insulation/reflectivity, cannot maintain the comfort of your indoor environment. The term energy efficiency refers to a roof’s ability to keep the air inside your building separate from the air outside it.
Several things decrease your roof’s ability to maintain indoor temperature. Some of them include the loss of reflective coatings, poor installation/workmanship, damage from foot traffic, and more.
Reputable industrial roofing contractors can conduct a full inspection and determine the cause of energy inefficiency.
Whether the reason is a puncture, loss of reflective coating, or any other factor, your contractor will make sure to fix the issue at hand.
But what if you’re not tackling industrial roof repairs because you’re installing a new roof? The solution is to choose a roof that’s made for energy efficiency.
Here at Cox Roofing Systems, we install three types of roofs that achieve this important attribute:
EDPM
Our EPDM roofing system by Firestone is a modern type of rubber roof that is resistant to sunlight.
This decreases the chance for heat to enter your building. It’s also lightweight, long-lasting, and cost-effective.
TPO
Another type of rubber roof that’s new in the industry is TPO. TPO roofing by Firestone is also very affordable.
It comes in attractive color options – white, black, or grey. Regardless of which color you pick, you can still benefit from reflectivity.
TTR
TTR stands for Tri Thermal Roofing. This is actually the product that we install for roof restorations. It’s a combination of the EPDM and spray foam to resist UV damage.
It also provides several benefits to extend the life of your roofing and minimize frequent industrial roof repairs. These include resistance to tears, punctures, leaks, pests, and all types of damage.
Do You Need an Industrial Roofing Repair?
They say that making wrong assumptions about your roof can put you in great trouble. What do we mean by this?
It’s no uncommon for building owners to neglect a simple roof problem because they think that it presents no real danger. Beware of these signs that prompt the need for immediate industrial roof repairs.
1. Blistering and alligatoring
In our previous article, we mentioned telltale signs your roof needs servicing. One of these is blistering and alligatoring on your membrane roof.
To differentiate between the two, blistering is characterized by bubbles and packets of air on your roof surface. They’re caused by trapped moisture and worsen with regular exposure to sunlight.
Alligatoring happens due to roof aging and drying out due to sun heat. This problem is evidenced by cracks that look like an alligator’s hide.
2. Pooling or ponding water
Standing water usually occurs after it rains and doesn’t drain after 48 hours. This is common among flat roofing systems since they’re flat.
Pooling water often results from poor workmanship or damage from the sun’s rays. Constant sun exposure lead to formation of gaps among bituminous roofing systems. As a result, drains become clogged.
Water left to stand for days add weight to your roof. You may not know if but its weight might exceed the threshold specified for your roof. If so, this will lead to a collapse.
Active leaks are another problem that result from standing water. As you already know, leaks have several consequences.
While you can deal with pooling water yourself by asking your maintenance personnel to remove standing water, it’s best to hire a contractor to perform industrial roof repairs.
But first, the contractor needs to determine the cause of the stagnant water. It’s always better to be stay on the safe side.
3. Subpar workmanship or poor installation
Even the most expensive and durable roofing systems break over time with subpar workmanship.
Poor workmanship happens if a roofer lacks experience or simply wants to make a quick buck.
Let’s say you had a roof installed which is expected to last up to 30 years. If leaks, poor drainage, and other problems happen early in its lifespan, you have a good reason to suspect poor workmanship.
This is why it’s very important that you hire industrial roofing contractors you can trust. Choose a company with a strong reputation. Don’t just hire roofers that show up at your door after a storm.
Make sure that the contractor to perform industrial roof repairs are insured, trained, and licensed. This ensures that your roofing task is done right.
It also gives you peace of mind knowing that you won’t be held liable for any accidents that happen to your contractor in the field.
Protection From the Top Matters
You must pay more attention to your roof if you seriously want your business to thrive.
No business owner wishes to deal with a major roof problem that requires a total roof replacement just because of issues that could have been prevented or immediately resolved.
Industrial roof repairs are like other areas of your business. Think about them as a way to put our fires. If not resolved, small issues can get really huge.
Remind yourself how the industrial roofing above your head keeps everyone beneath it safe. Think about the profits you can make and the comfort your employees get because of a healthy roofing system.
We hope that this article has helped you realize the impact of timely repairs on your business.
