Roofing
The condition of a roof depends on its design, construction, and maintenance. Managers should have roofs inspected as part of a preventive maintenance program—at least once every six months. Roofs that are more vulnerable due to age, type, and condition may need to be inspected more frequently. Shortly after a rain is a good time to inspect a roof to see how the water is draining or pooling. Access to the roof should be limited to preserve its condition.
The general condition of roofing material should be checked as follows:
Single-ply System
- Exposed membrane at parapets damaged by UV rays
- Flashing at walls, chimneys and roof intrusions
- Flashing of above roofline equipment
- Degraded roofing material at pipes and vents
Bituman
- Generally, the same inspection as is used for built up roofs
- Primary problems for APP (Atactic polypropylene) membranes are crazing or cracking, blisters, open or loose laps, loose bare flashings
- For SBS (styrene butadiene styrene) membranes, problems include open or loose laps, blisters, cracking, granule loss
Built-up Roof
- Exposed felt at parapets damaged by UV rays
- Flashing at walls, chimneys and roof intrusions
- Condition of protective coating
- Degraded roofing material at perimeter flashing laps
Pitch and Gravel
- Exposed felt at parapets damaged by UV rays
- Bald spots
- Flashing at walls, chimneys and roof intrusions
- Degraded roofing material at perimeter flashing lap
- Degraded pitch at roof penetrations
Composition Shingles
- Condition of shingles (flexibility and granule cover)
- Flashing at walls, chimneys and roof intrusions
- Gaps at gable overhang
Tile
- Cracked tiles
- Flashing at walls, chimneys and roof intrusions
- Hip and ridge mortaring
Visual inspection of a roof is usually adequate. However, a comprehensive inspection using infrared scanning equipment may be warranted every few years. If patches are constantly needed but don’t seem to resolve the leak, a comprehensive inspection may be needed to discover the real source of the problem.
Infrared scanning equipment can be used to identify wet spots caused by leaky roofs. A leaky roof can cause extensive damage to the building infrastructure as well as destroy the cosmetics on the inside. Infrared scanning can find temperature differentials that are the identifying marks of problems by measuring the temperature differential between hidden wet areas and dry areas.
An infrared inspection is relatively inexpensive and can save roof replacement costs, which may be a hundred times greater than the cost of the test. A roofing consultant can help assess roof needs and identify maintenance implications.