Check Your Roof from the Inside to Uncover Exterior Issues
Every commercial building roof type plays a critical role in protecting a facility and everything inside it—employees, customers, equipment, and inventory. A good industrial roof will also help ensure year-round energy efficiency and a comfortable working environment.
Although most people might think the best way to detect a commercial roof issue is by going up on top of the roof deck, you can also check your roof for problems from inside your facility.
To aid you in this process, we will outline why it’s imperative to have a regular commercial roof inspection performed at least once per year and provide a list of practical tips on how to check your commercial roof from the inside to spot problems on the outside.
Annual Commercial Roof Inspection
Regular industrial roof inspections, as part of a commercial roof maintenance plan, enable facility managers to promptly address potential roof problems and prevent them from worsening into a roofing emergency. A skilled roof technician can identify signs of impairment that require immediate repair, future repairs, or a roof repair vs. replacement.
Hire a Reliable Company
“If you don’t feel comfortable conducting an annual commercial roof inspection yourself, you should contract with a reputable company like Capital Roof Care, which has extensive experience assessing a full range of roof types and substrates,” said Bill Morgan, President of Capital Roof Care. “A dependable company will provide a variety of roof service plans to choose from and should also offer a 54-point visual inspection.” In addition to these things, the roofing contractor you select should:
- Organize your roof warranty information
- Keep track of maintenance requirements
- Assess the roof condition regularly
- Identify repair needs
- Document all roof maintenance assessments and repairs.
The best time to conduct an annual interior commercial roof assessment is during a plant shutdown. Most commercial facilities have regularly scheduled shutdown periods to conduct repairs and service machines. Conducting a roof inspection during this time offers a safe opportunity for the detailed inspection of ceiling cavities, joists, and ductwork intersections.
Inspection Log
Once an annual roof inspection plan is put into place, it should be accompanied by a commercial roof inspection log that includes photos, inspection dates, and notes to track recurring issues and patterns.
Properly documenting roof issues and components plays a crucial role in commercial roof maintenance and cost savings. At a minimum, the following information should be retained with the commercial roof inspection log.
Records
A history of everything that has to do with the commercial roofing system. These records include roof installation, maintenance, inspections, repairs, and any replacements. Historical records will help keep track of the roof’s condition over time, enabling the maintenance team to identify patterns, trends, potential issues, and future projects that may be necessary.
Asset Management
Documentation of the commercial facility’s roof type and all roofing assets, such as the installation date and any modifications or repairs that have been performed, must be maintained. By tracking repairs and maintenance costs over time, businesses can more accurately estimate future expenses, allocate funds effectively, and prioritize maintenance tasks.
Compliance and Regulations
Commercial properties are often subject to building codes and regulations related to roof maintenance. Proper documentation will ensure that all maintenance activities performed comply with warranties and local and industry regulations. This proactive cost-savings measure may also prevent potential legal issues and/or fees and protect a business’s liability, since these actions demonstrate a company is taking measures to care for its roof properly.
Warranty Management
Many commercial roofs come with warranties from the roofing material manufacturer or the roof installation company. To ensure a warranty remains valid, facility managers need to know the length of the warranty and any recommended maintenance activities that should be performed. Proper documentation of the installation and maintenance activities will be essential for ensuring warranty compliance. In the event that a warranty claim does need to be filed, this information will provide evidence of adherence to the warranty guidelines.
Regular Walkthroughs
In addition to having an annual roofing inspection, facility managers should also perform regular walkthroughs to observe the underside of their building’s roofing system. These walkthroughs should occur after any major storm and at least twice per year (spring and fall).
“In addition to these walkthroughs, facility managers also need to educate all employees about what to look for on the underside of the roofing system that may indicate a problem,” said Steven Fisher, Brand Manager for Capital Roof Care. “By paying attention to what they see daily and reporting it, all employees—maintenance team members, production line workers, etc.—can prevent a small problem from becoming an emergency roofing repair.”
Items to Inspect from Inside Your Facility
After initiating an annual interior roofing inspection, you will need a checklist of specific items to inspect. Here are a few critical interior areas on the underside of your roof that Capital Roof Care recommends you examine regularly:
Ceiling & Walls
Inspect the ceiling and walls for discoloration, such as dark spots or yellowish stains, and peeling or bubbling paint. These signs typically indicate leaks, standing water, or damaged flashing on the roof deck, allowing moisture to enter your facility.
Active Leaks or Dripping
The second thing you should look for inside your facility is active commercial roof leaks. This includes wet spots, dripping water, or damp insulation. As such, an interior inspection should be conducted after each heavy rain or snow event. A breach in the roofing membrane, damaged seams, or clogged roof drains could be the source of leaks. If you suspect a moisture issue but do not see visible leaks, you can use thermal imaging cameras to detect wet insulation or trapped moisture beneath the roof membrane from inside the building.
Mold or Mildew Growth
The third thing you should look for when inspecting your roof from inside your facility is any signs of mold or mildew growth. This could be visible mold or mildew patches on the walls or ceiling. You might also experience a musty odor, which could also be an indication of mold. Persistent moisture from roof leaks or condensation buildup is the likely culprit in any of these scenarios.
Light Penetration
The fourth thing you should look for when inspecting the underside of your roof is light penetration. More specifically, look for any visible sunlight coming through the roof deck or around vents, pipes, or joints. You might also see a “shiner,” which is a nail that missed the framing member. Possible cracks, open seams, or deteriorated flashing are other issues that can occur, allowing gaps to form in the roofing system and potentially leading to light penetration, which indicates a problem.
Structural Components
The fifth item you should inspect from inside your facility is the structural components of your roof. Over time, all commercial roofs will weather and deteriorate, resulting in cracks, stress, and areas where water can penetrate.
Corroded fasteners, flaking paint on steel framing, an isolated rust bloom, or rust on steel beams can indicate water infiltration from the roof deck. Other structural components that could suggest bigger issues include sagging in the roof joists or ceiling and warping in the roof’s wooden structures.
Capital Roof Care also suggests you observe your roof’s purlin alignment, which refers to how the horizontal structural members (or purlins) are positioned and aligned to support the roof deck. “If the purlins are out of alignment, they can cause buckling and gaps that let in water or air, which negatively impacts a roof’s stability,” said Fisher.
Roof Penetrations
The sixth item to inspect from inside your facility is any roof penetrations, such as HVAC units or vents, that are present on the roof deck. “Penetrations are most common on flat roofs, because these types of roofs often require pipe access, drainage, and ventilation,” said Merv Fisher, CEO of Capital Coating and Capital Roof Care. “Almost every commercial roof will require some type of penetration for the building to function properly.”
Although roof penetrations are necessary at commercial facilities, they can cause problems. To prevent issues from occurring, inspectors should look for water stains or corrosion near rooftop units or vent openings. The three most common roof penetration problems stem from improperly sealed penetrations, membrane damage, and flashing failures.
Indoor Temperature and Humidity
The last thing you want to consider observing from inside your facility is the temperature and humidity of your commercial space. Are there any hot or cold spots or unusually humid areas directly under the roof? Poor insulation, damaged vapor barriers, or leaks can allow air and moisture to intrude into your facility, causing changes in temperature and humidity.
“One issue many facilities managers overlook is a facility’s vapor drive, which is the movement of water vapor (or moisture in the air) through building materials,” said Steve Fisher. “This is caused by differences in temperature, air pressure, and humidity between the inside and outside of a building.”
Fisher continues, “Since warm air holds more moisture than cool air, when warm, humid air moves toward a cooler surface, such as a roof deck or insulation layer in the summer, the vapor condenses into liquid water. Conversely, in the winter, warm, moist indoor air moves upward toward the cold roof deck, and the vapor drive is driven outward.”
This constant shifting puts stress on roofing materials and insulation. As a result, if indoor humidity isn’t controlled—or if your roof lacks a proper vapor barrier—condensation and trapped water will slowly destroy insulation, corrode metal, and cause premature roof failure.
Conclusion
By conducting regular roofing inspections that include examining specific areas on the underside of the roof, you can prevent costly roofing emergency repairs, regardless of the type of industrial roof you have. To set up a regular industrial roof assessment, contact Capital Roof Care. If any of the items on the checklist above are presenting problems, you should also contact Capital Roof Care. Roofing issues left unattended will lead to more extensive damage and costly repairs.