Category: Preventative Maintenance

Even the best commercial roofs don’t last forever, and keeping tabs on the health of a building’s roof is one of the most important jobs for any facility manager. Leaks and other serious damages may be easy to spot, but what about hidden damages that lead to big problems down the line?

Because they are such complicated systems, commercial roofs can have plenty of problems that build slowly and aren’t apparent to an inexperienced eye. Concealed moisture, bad weld jobs, loose seams, and other seemingly small problems can lead to a big and costly surprise down the road. Here are five tips for avoiding unwanted surprises with your commercial roof:

1. Get regular roof assessments.

Don’t wait until after a hail storm to get your roof assessed. Trouble with a roof isn’t always weather-related, and catching little problems before they become big problems is the best way to save on costly repairs.

2. Only trust professionals with roof inspections.

A facility manager may be involved with everything going on inside a commercial building, but there are some types of damage that only a professional roofer can recognize. Roof inspectors are specially-trained to spot damage as it happens, not once the roof starts to leak.

3. Prepare your budget for an emergency.

Even carefully monitoring your roof can’t prepare you for an unexpected accident or weather event. Don’t get caught off guard—keep a budget for roofing repairs. A good rule is planning to save $750 for each simple repair. Roofs with patios and roofs that support heavy equipment will need more repairs than roof tops that rarely see traffic.

4. Find a roofer with forecasting assessments.

When looking for a roofing company, find one that does forecasting as part of their traditional damage assessment. Forecasting allows you to see into your roof’s future and plan for big expenses down the line. Good reporting is critical to forecasting, and the best roofers will offer comprehensive reports with the roof’s current condition and future recommendations.

5. Prevent disasters with a maintenance plan.

With regular roof forecasting assessments, you can make a long-term maintenance plan to extend the life of your roof. Addressing small problems on your roof through preventative maintenance and weatherproofing is the surest way to avoid a costly roofing emergency.

Get All the Prevention Tools You Need in One Place

Our team at Maxwell Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc. prides ourselves on the quality of our roof management program. Through our MAXCare program, customers get regular roof assessments with forecasting. Each assessment in this long-term monitoring program comes with one of our industry-leading reports that includes details on a roof’s condition and projections for future maintenance and costs. For unplanned emergencies, MAXCare also gives customers access to roofers 24 hours a day.

Visit us today to learn more about MAXCare and how it can help extend the life of your commercial roof.

With average lows between 32°F and 35°F between the months of December and February, North Alabama winters, while not comfortable, are generally mild.

But, however sporadic they may be, freezing temperatures and snowfall can represent real risk to your commercial roof if it’s not correctly prepared.

Here are four ways you can prepare your roof for a North Alabama winter:

1. Perform an inspection of the roof before winter officially begins.

Ideally, this inspection will be performed by a professional, as they’ll know the exact signs to look for and may be able to point out potential roof health issues before they occur.

The professional roofer will look for visible cracks or seams in the roofing material, cracks in the roof’s caulking, structural damage to flashings, and gaps or punctures anywhere on the roof’s surface, including the edges, to avoid potential leaks or wind uplift.

This step is important in all climates, but it’s crucial here in North Alabama, as the heat of the sun can cause expansion, drying, and/or cracking of the roofing material that may prove hazardous when the roof material cools and contracts.

2. Clean, clean, clean.

Structural integrity isn’t the only risk factor for your roof in inclement weather. You’ll also want to keep an eye out for any branches, debris buildup, or foreign objects on your roof’s surface.

While these objects may not have caused any damage yet, their presence presents a risk to your roof during inclement weather, as they can either puncture the roof’s membrane or, in the case of debris, it can collect moisture from fall rain or winter snow. The more moisture the debris retains, the bigger chance for mold or rotting.

This also means cleaning your gutters, as clogged gutters may keep water from cleanly flowing off the roof. The risk here is that the water will end up pooling on the roof itself or flowing over the gutters onto the walls of the building.

3. Examine the insulation.

It’s easy to think the only function of insulation is to keep us warm. And, while that’s true, it also helps prevent a major winter weather roof problem: ice damming.

Ice damming is what happens when improper insulation allows heat to transfer to the roof, where ice or snow melts into water, then flows to the gutters and edges of your roof. It then refreezes, leading to added weight that could damage the gutters or pull them away from the roof itself.

4. Make a plan.

Despite our best efforts, sometimes roofing emergencies occur, whether it’s due to a falling branch or an unexpected spell of extreme weather.

Create a plan for what you’ll do if you experience a roofing emergency during the winter months. Do you have a relationship with a roofing company that performs emergency services? Do you have a budget for emergency roof repairs? Who is responsible for identifying roof damage and contacting the emergency repair team?

Preparing your roof for winter in North Alabama is not a complicated process, but it does require planning and work—and, it’s much easier when you have the guidance of a professional.

If you want to learn more about preparing your roof for the winter and how Maxwell can help keep your roof in tip-top shape despite lower temperatures, click here to contact us.

Severe weather puts things in perspective. It can make us stay home from work, check on loved ones we haven’t talked to in months, or hide out in a basement for hours on end. Mother Nature is indifferent to our plans, our jobs, and especially our roofs.

Whether you’ve recently experienced a severe storm or you’re about to, here’s what you need to know about how severe weather affects commercial roofs.

Material Matters

Not all commercial roofs are constructed the same way. There are multiple types of commercial roof builds, and each respond to severe weather differently. Here are a few of the most common commercial roof build types and how they respond to severe weather.

1. Built-Up Roofing—Built-Up Roofing systems, also referred to as BUR, generally are composed of alternating layers of bitumen and reinforcing fabrics that create a finished membrane. There are two types of layers for BUR roofs. The first is either gravel or some other type of granule, which endures hail well, but is vulnerable to wind, which can blow off this top layer, leaving lower layers open to damage from water or hail. The second is a smooth finish, such as asphalt. Smooth finishes on a built-up roof, while less susceptible to wind damage, are more vulnerable to hail.

2. Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) Roofing—EPDM roofing is rubber roofing. This type of roof generally fairs well in severe weather. However, like all roofs, if there is not a sufficient slope and water starts to pond in specific areas, then there is a risk of damage due to the weight of the water and the fact that, after repeated instances, it may eventually eat through the surface of the roof and cause a leak.

3. Metal Roofing—Metal roofing generally holds up well during storms, sustaining mainly superficial damage. One thing to be aware of, though, is the roof’s finish. The finish can be “chipped or cracked by the hail, which can then lead to the development of rust.”

4. Thermoplastic Roofing—Because thermoplastic roofing is made to flex, it is generally resilient in the face of hail. However, severe hail could damage the layers beneath the surface without showing any visible damage. An important thing to note is that thermoplastic roofing is a comparatively new technology. Working with a professional roofer can help you properly evaluate how this type of material holds up to severe weather in your area.

Severe Weather Risks with All Commercial Roofs—Regardless of Construction Material

Regardless of their construction material, all commercial roofs are susceptible to damage from wind uplift and water. Wind uplift is when “strong air gets underneath the roof materials and pulls them up.” When this happens, “rain can get underneath and begin to rot out the materials.” Water damage can either be acute or occur over time. If wind uplift severely damages the integrity of the roof, water can enter within a short time frame. But if wind uplift does not occur, there is still a risk of ponding water on roofs without sufficient slope.

While ponding water may not cause an immediate problem, over time, it can wear down the surface of a roof and form a leak. No matter what type of roof you have, if you’ve recently experienced severe weather, you’ll want to check for damage. This is best done by a roofing professional, as some damage may not be immediately noticeable—or may be so subtle that it can only be detected by an experienced professional.

Contact Maxwell Roofing today to learn how our emergency repair services can get your roof back to 100%.

Emergency repairs are inevitable over the course of a roof’s life. Exposed to the elements for decades on end, your roof is under attack throughout its entire lifecycle.

Unfortunately, most businesses don’t think about a roofing emergency until they experience one. Between getting the issue fixed immediately, dealing with insurance or warranties, and figuring out how you’re going to pay for the repairs, the process can eventually become a lot more stressful.

And, while you may not be able to prevent every commercial roofing emergency, there are ways you can make the process of dealing with them with much less burden or worry.

How to Proactively Prepare for a Commercial Roofing Emergency

Here are three ways we work with our clients to help them proactively prepare for emergencies that are outside of their control:

1. Develop an Emergency Response Plan

The first step to address roof issues as they arise is to have an action plan before an emergency occurs. All emergency plans should work in conjunction with the building’s regular maintenance plan and include a project schedule, initial inspection procedure, a prioritized list of repairs, and a process for recording the emergency work.

2. Be Financially Prepared with Capital Budget & Warranties

For many businesses, a roofing emergency can potentially seem more damaging to their bank accounts than the roofs themselves. Maxwell Roofing’s team works alongside our clients to consider capital budget strategies to proactively prepare for potential emergencies. We also educate them on the important things to consider when evaluating a commercial roof warranty. By taking these two ideas into consideration, the financial burden of an emergency roof repair won’t be an issue.

3. Address Potential Emergencies through Weatherproofing & Preventative Maintenance

The best defense against potential emergencies is a good offense. There are a few different ways we work to help our clients address potential emergencies before they become significant issues. Each commercial roof is weatherproofed based on specific factors and the unique structure, geography, and materials involved. Additionally, our Roof Monitor system keeps tabs on the conditions of the roof in the midst of damaging weather. Our Maxcare® program is designed to quickly address unexpected emergencies and also prevent small issues before they become big ones.

Is Your Roof Adequately Protected from an Emergency?

No one wants to think about the worst-case scenarios. However, proactively preparing can help you quickly resolve whatever emergency might occur without any stress or headaches. Taking time to implement these three ideas will ensure you’ll be in better shape if a roofing emergency arises.

If you’re interested in learning exactly how we can help your business proactively prepare for a commercial roofing emergency, click here to contact us today. Our team of professionals is ready to assist.

You don’t notice some things until it’s too late…like the burnt burgers on the grill or the leaves overflowing from your gutters. That’s often how commercial roof maintenance goes, too. It’s often ignored until there are buckets littering the floor, catching drops of water falling from the ceiling. We’d guess this happens because people are intimidated by the idea of developing a proactive roof maintenance plan.

How often should my roof be evaluated?

What’s the typical cost of repairs?

Does it truly save money in the long-run?

Why MAXCare?

The fact is: Roof maintenance can seem like a vague concept that people tell you is important but have a hard time explaining. “You’ll save money,” they say. And, you know it’s true, but you have a hard time taking any action because you’re not sure how much you’ll save, or if it’s worth all the effort.

That’s where MAXCare® comes in. We know commercial roof maintenance can get confusing. And, too often, people try to sell you on vague concepts without clearly explaining how they will help you or save you money. We created MAXCare so you could get a clear understanding of your roof maintenance plan—and how much money it could potentially save you.

MAXCare is different from Maxwell Roofing’s regular service and maintenance offerings in the way that Maxwell provides reactive daily response to roof maintenance needs, where MAXCare stands apart in its proactive, relationship-driven approach to roof maintenance that is built around an asset management. “Through the MAXCare program, you increase the return on investment in your assets. With roofing, that return is most prominently affected by extending its life or reducing operating costs over its life,” says John Maxwell, President of Maxwell Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc. “The real value of MAXCare is partly dependent on the stage or life cycle of the roof and can often depend on the construction being correct and complete, if the damage was caught early and corrected, if the roof was monitored and cared for from day one, and if the roof gets a lot of traffic. When customers invest in MAXCare early on, there’s great value in having document intelligence of all these matters to help maintain the roof’s current life cycle and inform any future changes or needs,” he adds.

How MAXCare Works

MAXCare is our comprehensive roof management program. Here’s how it works:

We start with a roof assessment, where we look at the state of your roof and generate a report that details planning, work recommendations, and forecasting for each section of your roof. We’ll be 100% transparent with you about the state of your roof and what we recommend to keep it healthy. You’ll also get access to the MAXCare online portal, where you can access educational content, tools, resources, historical reports for each of your buildings, and invoicing. MAXCare will show you exactly how healthy your roof is now and how you can best plan for future expenses. John explains, “One of the most significant values of MAXCare to our customers is in the regular monitoring we perform. When repair needs arise, our customers quickly learn that with MAXCare the question isn’t about the condition itself, but rather how long did it take this condition to develop. With long-term monitoring, you’ll have less costly surprises along the way.”

MAXCare helps you say goodbye to vague statements like, “You’ll get a few more years out of it.” We’ll forecast, as clearly as we can, future repairs to your roof, along with a prediction of costs and general timeline. As a bonus, our MAXCare portal lets you report leaks, check the status of work orders, and review invoices, so you can stay up-to-date on everything related to current and past work. MAXCare members also get discounted rates on other Maxwell Roofing services.

Who Needs MAXCare?

While MAXCare may not be the right fit for every commercial roofing partner, it can be greatly beneficial for property or industrial managers who are responsible for maintaining multiple buildings, roofs, and units. Though it might seem like you’re paying a bit more in upfront costs, MAXCare can save on overall maintenance costs in the long-term, and it can be greatly beneficial in proving your attentiveness to roof maintenance if ever faced with a complaint of negligence. “If you’re looking to break away from a run-to-fail model, MAXCare is right for you,” affirms John. “A run-to-fail model doesn’t cost much to operate, but there’s always a surprise factor that appears,” he adds.

Is MAXCare Roof Maintenance Right for You?

MAXCare is a result of our years of experience in the field and our desire to make roof maintenance as simple as possible for our customers. With MAXCare, you don’t have to guess. We take the effort off your plate and consolidate all your roof maintenance needs into a simple online portal.

If you’re interested in learning how MAXCare might help simplify your commercial roof maintenance program, just click here to contact us.

Drip.

Wait. Was that water?

Drop.

Where is it coming from?

You look up and feel another drop of water land on your face.

For a business owner, this is the beginning of a headache that will likely span weeks, beginning with a drop of water and ending with a check for thousands of dollars leaving your pocket. But, what could you have done? And, how can you prevent this from happening again?

The fact is, all roofs will need repair at some point, but, there are things you can do to prolong the life of your roof and avoid costly repairs for as long as possible. One of the best ways to avoid excessive repair costs is to make sure your roof is properly weatherproofed. Here are three, simple things to consider when weatherproofing your roof.

• Roof Structure—Most commercial roofs are flat and can be made of a variety of materials, including bitumen, metal, plastic, foam, and more. Before beginning the process of weatherproofing your roof, you must know what you’re working with. What is your roof made of, and what weatherproofing capabilities does it currently have? Where is it lacking? No matter which type of roof your building has, it will eventually leak and wear down, but determining the structure of your roof and understanding its strengths and weaknesses will give you a clearer picture of what must be addressed during the weatherproofing process.
• Geography—Where is your business located? What’s the weather like? If you’re located in the Mid-South, you likely experience all four seasons. So, you’ll have to protect against heat and intense sunlight in the summer, as well as freezing temperatures and ice in the winter. To fully understand how to weatherproof your roof, you must know exactly what weather elements it needs to be protected from.
• Materials for Weatherproofing—Depending on your business’ location, weatherproofing may not be the same thing as waterproofing. To use the previous example, if your business is located in Tennessee or Alabama, you may need heating cables in the winter for ice protection, as well as additional coating in the summer to protect from intense sunlight. If you want your roof to be completely weatherproof, you may need to use a variety of materials to achieve that goal.

There are many variables to consider when weatherproofing your roof, but if you do your homework, it can be a straightforward process. You simply need to understand the material you’re working with and the weather elements you need to guard against.

While the process can be straightforward, some intricacies may best be addressed by a professional. If you’d like some guidance to determine the best way to weatherproof your roof, contact Maxwell Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc. We’d love to help you protect your building and avoid costly, unplanned repairs.

Commercial roofs are under constant assault from Mother Nature. They are built to withstand weather events like run-of-the mill thunderstorms, rain storms, periods of sustained winds and snowfall. However, all roofs are vulnerable to extreme weather events and you won’t necessarily know just how vulnerable your roof is until something happens. The good news? You can take steps to help guard against weather damage and to receive alerts when wind, hail, rain or ice/snow does a number on your roof.

The Best Defense in Roofing Is A Good Offense

The most important thing that building managers can do to protect the integrity of their roofing system is to know the condition of the roof. Regular, professional roofing inspections can identify damage or defects and can also identify potential vulnerabilities should a nasty weather event occur. In between inspections, facilities managers should conduct check-ups to monitor the roof and to identify any new issues as soon as possible.

Knowing the condition of the roof is important, but it’s only half the battle. Management should be prepared to correct the defects and damage found during inspections and self-checkups. Facilities staff can seal cracks, secure areas that may be vulnerable to high winds, and remove puddled water. Any preventative measures should be shared with your commercial roofing partner, however, so that they can examine those small issues and create a plan for a permanent fix. Putting off repairs, however minor, can leave the roof system vulnerable in the event of a storm.

Keep “Eyes” On The Roof In Any Weather

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to receive an alert if something happened to the roofing system instead of discovering water on the floor of the building? There is a product on the market called Roof Monitor™ that keeps tabs on the conditions of the roof 24/7/365.

The product keeps tabs on water and snow load on flat and low-slope roofs and it alerts building managers if the roof’s perimeter is breached or if the deck experiences sag. The sensors send a signal that triggers a call to building managers and immediately dispatches an authorized repair team to the site to assess the situation and make necessary fixes to protect the roofing system.

Ice And Snow Don’t Have To Cause Stress

They say everything is bigger in the South, and when it comes to hail, nothing could be more true. All southerners are familiar with the sounds and the stresses of a hailstorm which can pound ice chunks on a roof at speeds of 90 miles per hour. Hail can wreak havoc on a commercial roof, and it’s important to take precautions to protect sensitive systems. Installing a high-density coverboard over the insulation and under the membrane can guard against hail damage.

There isn’t much snow in the South, but Northern states can deal with several feet of snow over the course of a winter. Those loads can lead to serious roof damage, and in worst cases, collapse. It is good practice to install heating coils on a roof to melt snow in the event of a heavy storm, guarding against major malfunctions.

Whether it’s rain, hail, snow, or wind, Mother Nature can cause real damage to roofing systems. Regular professional inspections and self-checkups are important to keep tabs on the physical conditions of the roof. Construction features like coverboards and heating coils can provide extra protection, as can a sensor system like Roof Monitor™. When it comes to all-weather roofing, prevention is the best medicine.

The roof is one of the most important components of the building, but “out of sight is out of mind”. So, many facilities managers and property owners tend to forget their roofs until a problem arises. This approach leads to repetitive leaks, ongoing patch jobs, expensive repairs and ultimately that, “Oh no” moment of panic and dread when the roof needs to be replaced. Now, facilities managers can learn about and understand what’s happening above them. Here are five things that every facility manager needs to know about their roof.

#1: What Is The Leak History of the Roof?

The leak history of a roof tells the story of what’s going on in a roofing system. The pattern and presence of leaks over time can inform diagnosis of the problem. Repeated leaks around skylights, for example, may indicate a construction defect rather than roof damage. (That’s right, roof leaks are often more a result of a design or construction flaw than a roof defect, per se.)

Leak history can also help the contractor more accurately assess the roof’s potential remaining life. A complete record of where water has gotten in and how it was repaired can help the contractor and Owner know whether or not water has infiltrated the roof system and saturated the insulation – which is the death knell for a roof.

#2: Who Is Getting On The Roof?

While Mother Nature can be hard on a roof, humans are usually a roofing system’s biggest enemy. If a roof is accessible to tenants or to other trade contractors for heating, ventilation and air conditioning; and other repairs, the roof is at risk of puncture, cuts, tears, and other damage.

Controlling access to the roof is essential for protecting the integrity of the roofing system. However, facilities managers don’t need to be fearful of granting access. People who use the roof should be able to come to the manager and let them know if they inadvertently caused damage. That means being friendly and available to tenants, repair workers and contractors who want access to the roof. Good access control and good communication allows managers to track issues they may never have known about otherwise.

#3: What Are the Safety Hazards Of The Roof?

Every roof is rife with safety hazards beyond the sheer height of the building. Some hazards are obvious, such as the edge of the roof being a fall hazard. Others are not quite as evident.

Skylights can be an extreme hazard. These features are not built for sitting or holding a lot of weight, and people on the roof may be tempted to rest on top of one, or place toolboxes on the skylight, putting themselves and the people inside in danger. Hidden corners, drop-offs and L-corners are also a hazard for anyone walking on a roof, especially they have never been on that particular building before. It’s easy to approach edges and corners in non-square layouts without realizing it.

#4: How Is The Roof Made

A thorough facilities manager should know as much as possible about the way the roof is built including:

• When the roof was built
• Where the design plans are
• The roofing materials
• The manufacturers of those materials
• The company that installed the roof
• The terms of the warranty

Knowing these details can help form a baseline understanding of the roof itself, and allows the facilities manager to communicate more effectively with a roofing contractor.

#5: When Was The Last Inspection?

Regular roofing inspections are the key to maintaining a roof that performs well and lasts as long as possible. One of the most important things a facility manager needs to know about their roof is the inspection history. If it has been more than a year, or if no one on the facilities team has any idea when the last inspection was, it’s been too long.

These roofing inspections help get ahead of major issues, keep the facilities team in the loop on areas to watch and conditions to observe, and ensure that budgets can properly be set for future repairs and re-roofing projects.

The more familiar the facilities manager becomes with the roof, the better. When it comes to prolonging roof life, choose a good contractor and make strong repair decisions, always keep in mind that you can never be armed with too much information. It is worth the time for a facility manager to learn and file away as much information as possible about their roof, in order to get the most value from the system.

With the exception of an act of nature, roofs rarely open up and allow water to pour in without warning. Most leaks begin small, getting worse with time as more and more water seeps into the roofing system. A commercial roof will “communicate” with the people inside, offering signs of stress. These are the 5 indoor roofing red flags to keep an eye on.

1. Water, Water Anywhere

The number one leaky roof red flag is the presence of water anywhere it should not be. The location of the water can be misleading, and may not be an accurate indication of where the water is coming from. Don’t assume that water stains near a window are caused by the window itself. Water travels on the path of least resistance, and that means that moisture from the roof can run down walls and show up nearly anywhere in the building.

2. Moisture On The Ceiling

Condensation can accumulate on the ceiling tiles for many reasons and may not always indicate a roof leak. Sometimes it can be the result of a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, or plumbing issue. However, if it occurs on the top floor, odds are it’s caused by a roof leak. Any time condensation appears on the ceiling, the cause should be immediately investigated.

3. Mold and Mildew

Mold and mildew require water to grow. If mold or mildew are spotted on or behind walls, this is a major roofing red flag. Again, this could be the result of a plumbing or ductwork issue, but in many cases of mold, water is likely getting in between the walls through the roof.

4. Rot In an Unused Area of the Building

Some buildings have restricted or unused areas that are not regularly visited by employees or tenants. When a section of a building is not populated, it can be a while before signs of leaks are found, which can cause rot. If rot is present in a little-used section of the building, the source may be the roof.

5. Irregular Roofing Inspections

When was the last time your roof was inspected by a professional roofing contractor? If no one on the facilities team can recall, or if it’s been more than a year, the building is at high risk for roof leaks, especially if that roof is more than a few years old.

Proactive Indoor Searches For Signs of Outdoor Damage

Leaks are often not spotted in their early stages, especially if you’re not conducting regular inspections and roofing maintenance check-ups. Typically, the first time a roofing red flag is noticed occurs when water is already dripping or pouring down into a building.

When facilities teams conduct inspections of the property, they should create a checklist for their examinations that includes:

• • Looking for signs of moisture on the ceiling.
  • Examining areas around windows and door openings for wetness, warp or rot.
  • Scanning for visible signs of mold or mildew.
  • Studying the roof deck, if visible, for signs of moisture.

Water leaks damage more than just the roof. If a leak is not detected early, or if it is not repaired in a way that corrects the damage done by the water, it can lead to widespread mold and mildew, drywall may need to be replaced, carpeting removed, window frames rebuilt, etc. These residual repairs can significantly add to the total cost of the repair.

The best way to keep water from getting inside is to ensure the roof is an impregnable barrier against the elements. Working with a trusted partner and expert can help keep water outside, where it belongs.