Picture yourself walking into your facility and finding a puddle of water on the floor. Your immediate thought would probably be – “Something punched a hole in my roof” or “it hasn’t rained in days, why is my roof leaking?”
Unfortunately, this is not how roof leaks always work.
The Anatomy of a Roof Leak
1. First off, in order to have a leak, the membrane or flashing must be compromised, allowing water to penetrate this area.
2. The water goes to the coverboard (roof board), and the coverboard begins to soak up the water. (Keep in mind, the purpose of the coverboard is to provide a rigid surface to protect the roof from hail damage and foot traffic.) Once the coverboard is soaked, it softens.
3. After the coverboard absorbs all the water it can handle, the water goes to the insulation board and begins to rot the organic fibers (which insulate your building). Rotted organic fibers cause enegery costs to go up.
4. Next, water goes to the metal deck. As you already know, moisture and metal cause rust, which compromises the primary function of the deck – to support the roof and handle the design load.
5.Once water makes its way through the metal deck, it usually goes to the sheet rock or drop ceiling. (Hopefully missing lights or other electrical equipment.)
6. Sheet rock and drop ceilings absorb all the water they can handle, rearing itself as the dreaded brown stain, then allowing water to drop to the store floor. Did this water fall on a register or inventory? Or did it land in the middle of an aisle, making you succeptable to slip-fall litigation?
7. The manager notifies you of a leak, and you contact your roofer.
This time you may have been lucky and the water didn’t damage expensive equiptment or cause a customer to slip and fall in your facility. So, how do you prevent this from happening again? The answer comes in the form of a roof asset management program.
A recent study done by the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) indicates that the average roof service life varies greatly.
- Unmaintained roofs average 10-14 years
- Maintained Roofs average 15 – 20 years
- Managed roofs covered by Asset management programs average 20 – 35 years
Ultimately, there is no better way to protect your roof than a Roof Asset Management program, provided by reliable, trusted roofing contractor like RoofConnect. Don’t hesitate, contact us below for a Free Roof Assessment!
