Think of all the questions swirling in a commercial building owner’s head every day. Will my supply chain hold firm? Will my business grow? Will a leaky roof cause mold? Now is the right time to consider mold and other hazards of commercial roofing not getting regular maintenance.
First: Ponding
Ignore your commercial roof, and soon enough, your roof will announce itself inside your building. It will send water infiltrating through your insulation, your roof deck, and into your working spaces indoors. Usually, this is because of ponding, the presence of water on your roof for longer than 48 hours.
Ponding is a direct result of neglect. Ignore internal drain clogs. Put off cleaning out the scuppers around your parapet. Refuse to rid your roof of debris, organic matter, or full-grown trees. Do all the wrong things, and your roof will have a ponding problem.
Second: Damaged Property
All that is wondrous and magical outdoors is usually not welcome inside: small mammals become pests; gently buzzing bees become stinging hazards. And gentle rainwater becomes a ruinous torrent saturating your expensive equipment, rusting metal structural components, and soaking inventory.
Neglecting routine inspection and maintenance invites water to infiltrate and roof seams to open up. Put off roof assets management, and you can expect to spend extra money on pest control, mold abatement, and furniture dealers.
Third: Injuries
A neglected roof is a dangerous roof. Just a few ill-placed drops of water from a roof leak can create a slip-and-fall hazard that leads to expensive medical bills or even lawsuits.
You have a lot of people in and out of your business every day: employees, clients, third-party vendors, and delivery workers. You may have tenants, children, elderly folks; you cannot afford to neglect a roof that threatens anyone’s safety.
Fourth: Accelerated Wear
A neglected roof dies an early death. It is a very costly roof because instead of getting the expected lifespan from your investment, you shortchange yourself and have to purchase a full roof replacement years too soon.
Such a costly mistake can take years to overcome. Every year your roof maintenance is “deferred” (or more realistically, ignored) adds to your eventual cost. You throw off your building budget. You could be forced to take a larger loan than planned, damaging your company’s credit rating.
If you siphon funds from other budget areas, you force a domino effect, all because you skimped on needed roof maintenance. Your “savings” become hugely expensive.
Fifth: Voided Warranties
A roof warranty from the materials manufacturer is a valuable piece of paper. We know you keep it in a safe place, alongside other essential building documents. But have you checked out its various provisions? Did you know most manufacturer warranties go out of force if the roof is neglected?
Many commercial roofers also offer workmanship warranties to cover installation errors. Those, too, will be null and void if you do not perform due diligence on the roof. That is entirely reasonable. You cannot hold a roofer liable if you choose to let ponding lead to a veritable Garden of Eden on the roof, with tiny roots opening seams and allowing water to flow inside.
Sixth: Mold
Most molds are unsightly without being major health hazards. But black and green molds do carry health risks, especially to elderly people and anyone with weakened immunities. Black and green molds grow very fast.
The problem with all molds is, they grow rapidly but are not visible for a full 18 days after they start propagating. Mold spores swirl in our air every day without harm. Only when a neglected roof lets water inside and mold finds the damp, porous surfaces with no breezes will you have a significant mold problem.
Within 48 hours of adhering to a moist surface, mold will germinate and begin spreading. After about 18 days, you will finally see what has been spreading for weeks! By then, you may need to pay for a mold remediation service to rid your building of mold.
We have only room enough to mention six hazards, but plenty more await the foolish building owner or facilities manager who refuses to maintain a commercial roof. Any effort to save money nearly always ends up costing a company dearly: sick employees, disgusted customers, damaged inventory, ruined equipment. The list of ills goes on and on.
Many Florida businesses have closed because of a conscious decision to skimp on essential maintenance. We cannot think of a single Florida company that went under because the facilities manager took great care of the roof.
Please contact us today to find more answers to your questions about your company’s roof. We know what neglect looks like, how much it costs, and how to avoid it. Use our expertise to prevent damage to your Fort Lauderdale-area commercial roof.
