- Drains, drains and more drains – they absolutely need to be cleaned at least once a year; twice if you have trees near by
- Caulking – at sheet metal and roof fixtures as this is where all the expansion and contraction occurs – every year is nice but at least every second year
- Blisters and cracks in membrane – these need to be addressed ASAP otherwise they become big problems quick. Regular maintenance can extend the life of a very expensive flat roof for years
- Tree branches – these need to be trimmed back so that they do not “scrub” and wear the membrane
- Debris – needs to be cleaned off to protect the roof membrane – over the years I have seen bottle cans, wood, metal beams, dead birds and even a crashed R.O.V!
- Limit who goes on your roof and make sure they use walkways
- Clean light coloured membranes to help extend their working life
- Finally, don’t be penny wise and pound foolish – I have seen large corporations spend many hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new roof and struggle to authorize spending a few hundred dollars on annual maintenance
Flat roofs are very dynamic systems with lots of movement and stresses – easily one of the most important systems on a commercial building. Regular maintenance is inexpensive insurance – get some!