Gutter maintenance is not just for homes; proper gutter maintenance is vital to protect commercial facilities as well.
With 40 years of commercial roofing experience and a dedicated service team to visit and maintain our customers’ commercial roofs, West Roofing Systems knows the importance of proper preventative maintenance, and we want to share with you how to extend the life of your gutter systems for years.
What Are Building Gutters?
Commercial building gutters are roof accessories that can be attached around the perimeter or throughout the commercial roof to control the water flow to prevent damage to the roof, building, and underlying property. The control of water leaving the building prevents the water from falling off the sides of your building, protecting your property and tenants walking around.
There are a wide variety of gutters that are made for commercial and residential buildings. For a commercial building, typical building gutters are made of galvanized steel or heavy aluminum.
Why Is It Important to Maintain Building Gutters?
Gutters are an extremely important part of the roof systems; unfortunately, they are very often overlooked…until it’s too late. When commercial roof gutters are not adequately maintained, the water flow on the building can be disrupted. This disruption can cause major damage to your building, inside and out. From the foundation to walkways, improperly drained water can cost your hundred or thousands of dollars in damage.
How To Maintain Your Building Gutters
Keep them Clean and Clear
Cleaning your gutters is not something that just homeowners have to deal with. Commercial buildings have gutters and drains that can get clogged with leaves, twigs, and other debris. When gutters and drains are clogged, water builds up and can sit on the roof, causing problems.
Keep your gutters clean and clear by going up regularly or hiring a contractor to visit your roof regularly to clean the gutters and drains on your building. You can even work to prevent debris from getting into your gutters by keeping trees and vegetation trimmed away from your building.
Maintain Gutter Joints
The joints of a gutter are the points where two pieces meet. These are vulnerable areas that can rust, break or disconnect. It’s important to regularly examine these areas of gutters and downspouts to ensure the gutter is carrying the water properly.
If you do have leaks at your gutter joints, these issues can be sealed with a waterproof gutter sealant.
Watch the Gutter Angle
Gutters drains, and downspouts use gravity to take water from the top of your roof to the ground safely. If your gutter systems don’t have the correct downward angle, they can collect water without sending it to the proper destination. This can cause major issues with your gutters and can even overflow onto your roof.
If you see water sitting in your gutters after rain, then you need to evaluate the pitch of your system.
Inspect for Holes
Holes and punctures to your gutter system can come from debris, weather or mechanical damage. These areas are prone to rust and can spread, allowing water to fall out of your gutter system in the damaged area.
Regularly inspect for damage, and especially check after severe weather. Most damage can be sealed with a patching kit, but if left for too long, you may have to replace that area of the gutter.
How A Maintenance Plan Can Help
Roof maintenance refers to the work done on a commercial or residential roof to prevent extensive damage from occurring in the future. It takes a proactive approach to keep your roof from leaking. Preventative maintenance allows contractors to detect and fix areas of the roof that are vulnerable to future leaks.
With a maintenance plan, you can work with a contractor that you trust to regularly visit your facility to examine your roof system, including your gutters, and perform all the preventative maintenance that you need.
When To Schedule Your Roof Maintenance
The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) recommends maintenance and repair be performed at least twice a year; this usually falls in the Spring and Autumn seasons. These scheduled maintenance inspections are to prepare your facility roof for extreme weather of the Summer and Winter.
In addition to scheduled maintenance, it’s more important to have your roof maintenance team to your facility before and after severe weather (such as tornadoes, thunderstorms, hail or winter storms) to make sure any damage from the weather is minimized. Keep in mind that you want a contractor that has an emergency line in the event of water entering your building or any other drastic roof damage.
If you are looking for maintenance, repair or replacement of your facilities roof, fill out our quote request form for your free no-obligation commercial roof quote from our team of experts.
Choosing West Roofing Systems as a turnkey roofing company will provide you with highly trained teams and award-winning service. Our services are flexible and diverse; we can recoat, repair or replace your facility’s roof so that it lasts decades.
