Once a roof has been fully restored or replaced with a roofing system, the most important part of the project lies ahead: this is at least annual inspections and in some parts of the country (high UV exposure, coastal climates and areas subjected to high winds) semi-annual inspections.
It should be noted that the best time for these inspections are spring and fall (just after the winter and just before the next rainy season). These inspection agreements should take the form of a contract, which specifies a time frame for these inspections.
Roofing Services
Our professional commercial roof contractors provide:
- Roof maintenance & repair
- Inspections & leak detection
- Energy efficient roof systems
- Complete roof replacement
- Roof life-extending solutions
An inspection need not take an entire working day but these key components need to be verified and documented:
- Refill the pitch pockets
- Repair leaks on a warranty roof
- Strip in pitch pockets
- Recaulk & seal flashings
- Clean and check drains
- Secure copings and counter flashings
- Coat entire roof with White Acrylic or Aluminum as appropriate (These will ensure that the proper reflectivity is being maintained)
- Clean loose debris including branches, leaves and dirt
- Add granules
The building owner also has obligations in this process:
- Maintain accurate and historical roof records
- Control roof access
- Report leaks or other roof damage immediately
- Ensure routine maintenance
- Use professional roofing contractors for all major maintenance
- Collaboration with one of our commercial roofing contractor before the addition of new penetrations or equipment
There is not one solution for all roofs as all roofs are not created equally. As professionals, our commercial roof contractors know about the potential problems with any given roofing system and can share this expertise with the owner, so that he or she can make an informed decision.
When considering solutions to the owner’s problem, a Conklin coating may not always be the best answer for repair. The coatings solutions should be focused on these three categories:
1. Functional (traditional) coatings are considered low technology. Similar chemically to the original roofing material, they are designed to prevent direct exposure to UV, atmospheric elements and water. Examples of functional coatings are fibered asphalt, coal tar coatings and bituminous emulsions. One of their benefits is that, typically, in-house personnel can perform these function to minimize the cost and potential scheduling issues.
2. Reflective Coatings protect and extend the life of the roof system by reflecting the solar radiation before it reaches the roof surface, potentially reducing the building energy costs. A Florida Energy Study indicates that cool roofs – those that reflect the sun’s rays – can reduce energy costs by ten to twenty percent for large buildings with moderate insulation. These materials use either aluminum metal or white titanium dioxide pigments and are considered moderate to high-tech products. Please keep in mind that these materials tend to be more sensitive to the exact type of roof membrane they are applied to, the cleanliness and preparation of the roof surface, and to weather conditions while the coating cures. These acrylics are not intended for areas that will be or are subjected to standing water. This is also the category of coatings that contains those materials that retard flame spread.
3. Maintenance Systems are professionally applied combinations of coatings and reinforcing fabrics that essentially create a secondary waterproofing membrane attached to the first.
Even maintenance systems cannot fix a failed roof. By utilizing a proactive, regular maintenance program that includes the judicious use of appropriate coatings, managers can extend the useful life of a new or existing roof membrane at a much lower life-cycle cost than an approach of neglect, repair and re-roof.
Repairs of Conklin Systems
As part of the Maintenance program, repairs to an existing Conklin Roofing System will need to be done. Below are some general recommendations for typical repairs.
Acrylic Coatings
Preparation of the Conklin Roofing System coatings would essentially be the same. Our Choice Roof Contractors would first apply (undiluted) Conklin Weathered Acrylic Cleaner (WAC II) at a rate of 400 to 500 square feet per gallon taking care to thoroughly agitate the surface to remove all contaminants. This should be done with water, and a stiff bristle brush.
The delaminated area should be allowed to dry and additional coating applied in all of those areas that are damaged, and thinner or not coated overlapping the damaged or delaminated areas at least 4” on each side.
If the original substrate was a BUR or asphaltic material Prime Time, at the prescribed coverage rate, would first need to be used on those exposed areas. If pinholing or splits have occurred in the coating, the pinholed areas should be cleaned with WAC II, treated with Kwik Kaulk and recoated with the appropriate Conklin Top Coat at a rate of one gallon per square. A coat over the entire surface will bring back the reflectivity values, save energy and ensure the maximum energy savings.
Sheet Goods
The repair of Flexion would:
- Utilize a thorough cleaning of the existing membrane with WAC II cleaner.
- The patch is then placed over the top of the damaged area (with at least a 3” overlap) and heat welded in place.
The repair of a Hy-Crown system has a couple of options:
- Utilize the patch kit of cut the appropriate size patch from the Hy-Crown that is available.
a. Clean the area to be patched with Xylene.
b. Cut a patch from the material provided (circular) with no notched edges and at least 3” bigger than the damaged area.
c. Wipe the existing area with xylene solvent as many times as necessary until the Hy-Crown membrane has developed a “tack.”
d. Liberally apply seaming adhesive to the back side of the patch and utilize the heat welder to finish the job.
For more information, talk to your Choice Roof Contractor, a senior mentor, or one of our support representatives.
