After a good roof has been delivered to the building owner, it is important for the owner to commit to a program of periodic roof inspections and to follow-up maintenance or repairs as needed. While some systems require less maintenance than others, no roof should be forgotten about after it is installed!
Semiannual inspections are recommended for all roofs. The purpose of these inspections is to determine if debris removal is needed; for example, cleaning of roof drains, and if the roof is showing signs of distress. In many instances, undesirable conditions can be minimized if they are detected and corrected early. Without inspections, a small problem, such as a puncture, can go unnoticed until a large area of the roof is wet and in need of replacement.
To assist in the care of the roof, many professional roofing contractors offer maintenance contracts to building owners. By making a commitment to periodic inspections and appropriate maintenance and repair, the building owner can optimize the roofs service life and maximize the roofing investment.
Maintenance guides specific to low-slope membrane types have been developed by NRCA (Art. 12.22). These guides provide useful information for establishing maintenance programs, emergency and permanent repair procedures, and historical data files; they include a general description of typical maintenance activities by roof system type, as well as inspection checklists.
