The moment you see water leaks or brown spots in your ceiling, you should immediately consult with a professional to perform a roof inspection. These small damages, if not repaired immediately, can cause you tons of money in the long run. Typically, any roofing company provides a free consultation in the hopes that they get to do the job right after. Though you might think that you can inspect your commercial roof yourself, hiring a professional roofer is highly recommended, as they can:
- Perform a roof inspection properly and professionally
- Propose cost-effective solutions
- Explain the problems, causes, and solutions in a manner that you can easily understand
If you are planning to have your commercial roofing checked soon, here’s what you should expect:
Inspection Inside the Building
Beforethe roof inspection, a professional roofer will first examine the inside of your building to check for leaks. Doing this also helps them find leads on where the damages are probably located. For instance, a visible leak can show where the water passes through, making it easier for the roofer to identify the problem and provide solutions.
Walking on Roof
Walking on the roof is essential for your roofer to do a proper roof inspection and look for potential damages. They will start inspecting the perimeters and work towards the middle of the roof. Doing that ensures that the roofer will not miss any spot or area of your commercial roofing. Also, most leakages are developed on the perimeter edges than the field of the roof. Strong winds may cause the roof’s sides to lift, which weakens its adhesion on a single-ply roofing system.
A professional roofer will inspect your roof for:
- Ponding water
- Roof holes
- Lifting seams
- Rising nails
- Lifted shingles
- Cracks
- Blisters, et cetera
Core Sampling
To get a closer look at the damages, your roofer will do core sampling on your roof. This is the process of removing a small section of your roof to determine your roof system composition. Doing this will help them see how much moisture is trapped within the roofing system.
A roofer will do core sampling to determine:
- Number of roofing layers
- Material of substrate
- Age of roofing
- Level of moisture or saturation
The amount of section that your roofer will remove will depend on the size and slope of your roof. Ideally, about 1-2 core sampling is needed for every 10,000 square feet.
The roofer will then cover the areas with TPO or EPDM patches around the core and the top of the substrate. Using silicone inside the area will work as well.
Detailed Report
Of course, your contract roofer should provide you with a detailed report after their roof inspection. The report shall include:
- Causes of leakages
- List of saturated areas in the roof
- Documentation photos
- Recommendations
The roofer will then recommend whether it will need repairing or restoring. If less than 5 percent of your roof is saturated, and there are minimal entryways, the roofer will most likely recommend a repair. However, if there’s 25 percent saturation or more, the roofer will recommend doing a restoring. Complete tear-off should be done if there is too much damage and saturation, to prevent further damage to the building facade.
Conclusion
A professional roofer does not only give solutions to your roofing problems, but they also help inspect and look for potential damages that are not visible to the unprofessional eye. Take note that a roof inspection may take hours. To help you decide which repairs to pursue, they will send you a detailed report post-inspection.
If you are looking for a commercial roofer in San Diego, you can be sure to receive the best service from us as our roofing contractors are fully licensed, highly-experienced, and equipped with the highest quality products. Contact us today!