The proper maintenance of your low slope roof can increase its lifespan and enhance its overall effectiveness. If your commercial building features a low slope roof, there are steps you can follow for maintaining it, ensuring its year-round performance, all while protecting the rest of your structure.

1. Have Your Roof Installed by a Proven Professional

The most common cause of low slope roof damage is poor installation. Make sure your roofing contractor is qualified to install a low slope roof.

2. Limit Roof Traffic

Treat your roof with care regarding foot traffic. Haphazard or overly-frequent traffic on a roof can easily lead to damage.

3. Beware of Ponding Water

“Ponding” water refers to an accumulation of water that doesn’t evaporate or disappear within 48 hours after appearing. The excess water can deteriorate your low slope roof faster than normal conditions due to algae formation or more intense UV rays.

UV rays, among other factors, can break down your low slope roofing membrane and cause cracking. Another common cause of cracking is excess weight on your roof. No matter what the reason, however, cracking can lead to more severe issues in the future.

5. Blistering

Proper low slope roof maintenance includes taking care of blistering, which occurs when a liquid becomes trapped between membrane plies. The trapped liquid causes the vapor to expand as temperatures increase. Blistering can cause serious harm to the integrity of your low slope roof if not maintained.

6. Repair Loose Fasteners

Regular inspection and repair of fasteners is another crucial component of roof maintenance because loose fasteners will no longer anchor your roof to your building as intended. 

An experienced, adept roofing contractor knows what type of fasteners best suit your roofing system.

7. Snow Build Up

Excess snow doesn’t slide off of a low slope roof as easily as it does on a moderate or steep-sloped roof, and it can overload your roof and potentially cause it to collapse. 

Or, the snowmelt can cause ponding when the roof isn’t draining correctly.

8. Report Issues Immediately

Proper low slope roof maintenance also includes calling your roofing contractor at the first sign of leaks or other damage.

If the roof on your New Hampshire Seacoast home needs maintenance or repair, call the experts at J. Carnes & Son Roofing. They’re also experts in installing low slope roofs.