Flat Roof Maintenance

Flat Roof Maintenance Services in Toronto

We have provided you below with a flat roof maintenance checklist, which comprehensively details what a seasonal inspection program should contain.

1. Scheduling the inspection: At least two inspections should be completed every year, one in the spring and another in the winter. The spring inspection will detect roof damage from the winter, while the second inspection ensures that your roof is prepared for the coming winter. If possible, also have inspections performed after inclement weather conditions or hazardous events (storms, construction, fire, etc.). The same goes if any HVAC or construction crews have recently been on your roof.
2. Conducting the inspection: As we inspect all components of your flat roof system, a record is made detailing deterioration, foot traffic, drainage, debris, ballast displacement, and so on. You are provided a copy of the report after each inspection. The pricing for regularly scheduled or spot inspections and repairs are also provided in advance for your budgeting purposes.
3. Roof Maintenance Inspection List:
   1. Sealants: Pitch pan fillers, caulking, and sealants are often found to be cracked when they are past age, or failed due to extreme roof stress and UV. Simple maintenance in this case would be to reapply the sealant in question as soon as it is found.
   2. Drainage: Water ponding is extremely detrimental to flat roof systems, and is often the result of improper drainage. Keep all drains clear and remove any debris that is plugging them. Proper maintenance in this case includes leaf removal, for which we carry industrial brooms in our inventory. Our other method of finding problems in drainage is “washing” the roof to trace drainage patterns. Use a non-abrasive powdered cleaner without suds on roof membranes.
   3. Parapet Walls: Damaged copings, mortar joints, and general wear are contributors to water entry into the building structure. Moisture and water penetration cause damage to insulation, fasteners, framing, and decking, which eventually leads to a system failure.
   4. Building Structure: We do a visual check of the building interior and exterior, noting any structural defects which can manifest as problems between the flat roof and assembly.  For the interior, that may involve noting rusted metal or wood rot, tracing water leak stains, and cracks in concrete decks. For the exterior, open mortar joints, poor laps, concrete spalling, and loose fascia are common signs of degradation.  Our main concern is whether the building envelope is safe from water entry.
   5. Tie-Ins: These components undergo material stress since they often consist of sealants. Cracking, splitting, and gaps are common deficiencies for tie-ins.
   6. Air Conditioning Units: Sharp debris may puncture the roof membrane. AC units, penetrations, elevated areas, and access points to the roof should be checked for any punctures or blistering. All access panels should be secured, and all drainage lines properly functioning. If any drain lines are clogged, and there are missing panels, the subsequent leaks are often mistaken for real flat roof leaks caused by some structural defect, rather than a matter of maintenance.
   7. Splitting: Long cracks in the membrane are referred to as splitting. They normally grow parallel to insulation joints and felts.
   8. Blistering: Felt layers or the substrate in BUR or modbit systems experience blistering, which refers to swollen, spongy areas. Gas and air becoming trapped between the layers causes separation and raised areas during temperature changes.
   9. Ridging: “Wrinkling and buckling” is found above insulation joints, and a result of moisture condensation forming on the underside of a roof. In single-ply membranes, ridges can also be found by drain areas and protrusions.
   10. Fish-mouthing: In modbit systems, fish-mouths are formed at lifting edge laps, or unbounded edges with synthetic systems such as TPO and PVC if it was not heat welded properly.
   11. Punctures: Broken blisters and loose screws, as well as exterior mistreatment, are ideal conditions for water penetration into the membrane where punctures have formed. These areas require immediate remedial work done.
   12. Ballast: Ballast rocks should be evenly distributed across the roof. Pay attention to corners, the perimeter, and penetrations for bare spots exposing the membrane. The membrane is often exposed due to high winds shifting the distribution of the rocks. Significant shifting of the ballast may require us to install interlocking paving for you. We have found that an evenly distributed ballast contributes to a higher roof life cycle.
4. Performing Repairs: All of the points covered by our estimate are provided in writing, which also includes pricing.