Just as with plumbing, a commercial roof always fails at the worst possible time. You will long remember the holiday or weekend that was ruined when you were notified that your commercial roof needs emergency repair. From a leak to wind damage, many conditions can require an emergency response from your commercial roofing contractor.

Toronto Weather

Canadian weather and climate are not kind to commercial roofs in the Greater Toronto Area. The hot and cold climate extremes experienced in the winter and summer do a lot of damage, but other factors create conditions that lead to emergency roof repair:

• Severe storms bring high winds, wind-borne debris, and pelting rain
• Punishing hail can fall from a near-clear sky without warning
• Tornadoes bring extremely high winds that can peel a roof off a building in seconds

We Are Always On Call

We are extremely dedicated and ready to answer your call, no matter the hour or day. Our 24/7 emergency response team is always ready to take your call. We often can get to your roof the same day you call, weather permitting and safety margins allowing.

By calling 416-238-6668 you can get emergency response to your commercial roof crisis. Our goals are to:

• Respond promptly to your emergency
• Keep your business running
• Protect your building, contents and employees
• Restore your roof at least temporarily before making permanent repairs

Safety Considerations

A building whose roof has sustained major damage may not be safe, either for you or for our expert teams of roofers. We want to help you restore your business, but we also will keep our roofers safe. Once the weather permits a visit, we will assess the damage, including any safety issues, and make recommendations.

We can complete many repairs with just the one emergency response. Other problems may be more widespread or call for substantial tear-off before a flat roof replacement is completed on your roof. Under those circumstances, we will make temporary flat roof repairs to preserve your business, then work with you to schedule permanent repairs.

Weather is not the only reason for emergency roof repair. Outside vendors may cause unintentional damage to your roof, or airborne construction material could strike your flat roof’s surface.

On Schedule

Nobody can schedule an emergency, but we work hard to schedule our emergency response. Whether you face a weather-related roof problem, or suffer unexpected damage from other causes, we are here to help.

Contact us today to learn more about our emergency service.

Storm damage can happen to anyone. Preventing flat roofing storm damage—snowstorms, tornadoes, downpours and hurricanes—requires a two-fold approach. In the case of a roofing emergency, don’t hesitate to call us 416-238-6668 for emergency response.

Prevent by Preparing

No matter where in the Greater Toronto Area your commercial property is located, your business may need flat roof repair from wind, rain, snow or ice damage. Prepare for the worst, and prevent storm damage three ways:

Have emergency roofing services already in place — Do you really want to be scrambling to find a commercial roofer when your flat roof is leaking water onto your inventory or equipment? Arrange Emergency Flat Roofing Services ahead of time, by developing a strong relationship with a carefully screened commercial roofing contractor.

Get regular inspections to check for roof damage — Annual or semiannual inspections can prevent the most expensive types of flat roof repair, by catching and correcting small issues before they grow into major roof damage.
Remove hazards—Overhanging limbs, close trees, weak roofing sections and improperly anchored add-ons (HVAC equipment, satellite dishes, electrical signs and window-washing equipment, for example) all can cause blunt force damage to any flat roof.

Ward off with Waterproofing

No matter the age, type or condition of your flat roof, additional applications of waterproofing can make sure your roof is in tip-top shape ahead of severe weather. Low temperatures cause cracking in asphalt-based roofing materials. High temperatures lead to crazing and bubbles. Getting regular spray or brush coatings of waterproofing will ward off moisture, adding years of life to your roof.

Count on Your Contractor

FlatRoofReplacement.ca can perform regular inspections, make small repairs, provide emergency services when storms do strike, and help keep your business afloat under the most adverse circumstances. We do more, too: we can provide roof monitoring services 24 hours a day to track ice and snow loads.

Contact us today to see how we can help you build a strategy for success in preventing storm damage to your flat roof.

The Manufacturing Process

Bitumen is a heavy petroleum product. It is great for sealing out water, resisting changes in temperature, and providing long-lasting, flexible roof protection. Modified bitumen roofing material keeps all the best qualities of this petroleum product but modifies it by adding long-fiber rubber compounds or polymers for strength, elasticity and workability.

Sheets of modified bitumen roofing membrane are made in a factory under carefully controlled conditions and spun into convenient rolls. FlatRoofReplacement.ca can get them up your flat roof by freight elevator, ladder hoist or, if necessary, by stairs. We lay the rolls out rapidly and seal their laps using heat welding (torch application).

Common modifiers mixed into the bitumen include:
Styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), a rubber
Atactic-polypropylene (APP), a plastic

Although we often refer to our products using these abbreviations, we are always happy to explain what our industry lingo means, and why either APP or SBS is the right choice for your commercial roof.

Appearance

Your flat roof can take on just about any final appearance you would like, because the top of the membrane can be treated with granulated minerals or metal foils in a wide range of colors, including cool white to help lower cooling costs.

Lifespan

The Greater Toronto Area experiences punishing weather where modified bitumen roofs have been tried and tested. A well-designed, carefully installed modified bitumen flat roof can easily last more than a decade, and often two. The lifespan of your commercial roof depends on three factors:

• Climate
• Professional Installation
• Proper Maintenance

Maintenance Requirements

Maintenance red flags for your membrane roof depend on the modifiers used:

SBS membranes—granule loss, blister, cracking, open or loose laps

APP membranes—blisters, loose bare flashings, crazing, cracking, and open or loose laps

Having professional, commercial roofers perform an annual inspection is economical, since small issues can be repaired efficiently before they become major problems or lead to leaks. FlatRoofReplacement.ca can install your modified bitumen flat roof, help you maintain it, and advise your maintenance department on carrying out semi-annual or quarterly inspections and repairs. Give us a call, contact us today for a free estimate.

Drainage

A low-slope commercial building has commercial roofing and drainage that use gravity to move water off the roof, through gutters and downspouts, and away from the building foundation. The downspouts can empty into a municipal waste water system or a drainage field on your property.

Proper drainage uses parapet scuppers (the drains on the building’s exterior walls; a peripheral drainage system), interior drains (drains in the middle of a roof expanse), or both. With scuppers and interior drains, the correct sizes of leaders, gutters and downspouts are crucial to prevent standing water.

Interior drains generally empty into standpipes inside your building. Having the standpipes inside provides a measure of protection and in Toronto, freezing downspouts are often a concern.

Standing Water Problems

Either from clogged drains or gutters and downspouts too small for the square footage, rainwater sitting on commercial roofing spells trouble. Ponding occurs when unintentional low spots allow water to collect. Water weight then compresses the roof insulation, exacerbating the problem. Standing water occurs around clogged scuppers and internal drains. Some parapet-style buildings have secondary scuppers a few inches higher than the regular scuppers just for this emergency. The standing water will drain, but that still leaves several inches of water on your commercial roofing, compressing the insulation and penetrating the top coating or layer.

Correct Sizing

FlatRoofReplacement.ca can help you determine if your building has adequate drainage. Experts recommend two roof drains for the first 10,000 square feet of roof, and another drain for each additional 10,000 square feet or portion thereof. Drains should be no further apart than 75 feet. If the building roof is disrupted by piercings (pads for HVAC equipment or other protrusions), drains need to be placed to allow water to drain from trapped areas behind those protrusions.

Contact us today to let us help you assess your building’s drainage system. An inspection today could save you the cost of a new roof tomorrow.

Toronto businesses and commercial property owners recognize the value of a trusted partner. Forming a long-standing relationship with a reliable commercial roofing contractor will help your bottom line by keeping flat roof maintenance and flat roof repair costs predictable. Additional benefits include institutional knowledge of your business’ roof, and more.

Flat Roofing Systems

No flat roofing contractor expects commercial property owners to have complete knowledge of their roofs. When you build a long-lasting relationship with a trustworthy flat roofing contractor, the roofer comes to know your flat roof better than anyone else. Familiarity with your building’s roofing system saves crew time and money.

FlatRoofReplacement.ca has extensive experience with all types of roofing, including energy-efficient modern methods like reflective single-ply systems as well as durable and weather resistant SBS roofing systems. We also know how to get the longest possible service from existing roof materials, such as built-up roofing or modified bitumen.

When you hire a roofing contractor for season after season, your flat roof’s gradual wear becomes easier to monitor. You can work with your flat roofing contractor to plan for future flat roof replacement without feeling a financial or time constraint.

New Roof

The best new flat roofs commercial property owners in the Greater Toronto Area can get are those installed and maintained by the same company. The crew and manager installing the new flat roof will record important details about the roof deck, insulation and flashing. When the same company sends a maintenance crew out, those records will speed up any maintenance and repair work.

A new flat roof is a major capital investment. You should not consider giving the job to an untrusted, untested roofer, because you will not know the quality of the company’s work. By forging a long-standing relationship with a flat roofer for smaller jobs, you have the reassurance that the new roof will be done properly.

Warranty

With us, businesses can enjoy another benefit by building a long-lasting partnership—ensuring the warranty stays in force. If you cannot document regular maintenance, annual inspections and proper upkeep, the manufacturer may not honour a warranty claim. By using one roofer for many years, you can protect your investment.

From any aspect—maintenance, repair records, warranty preservation, or new roof—you are better off building a long-lasting relationship with a trusted and professional commercial roofing contractor than switching from roofer to roofer.

Start today, give us a call!

Commercial roofing in the Greater Toronto Area takes a punishment from the sun, as well as the 33 inches of precipitation we get each year on average. Draining nearly three feet precipitation a year requires not simply a clean gutter, but a complete, properly built and reinforced commercial roofing drain system. All the parts must work in harmony to shed water that otherwise ends up inside the insulation, roof deck, inside your building and, possibly, inside your inventory.

Edge and Interiors Drains

Commercial flat roofing varies, of course, but almost all commercial roofing systems feature drainage at edges and across the roof expanse. Edge drains include:
Scuppers—Actual rectangular holes in the parapet walls to allow water to flow off the roof
Secondary scuppers—Emergency drains higher up on the parapet walls in case the primary scuppers clog
Gutters—Metal troughs carrying water from the roof to downspouts
Downspouts—Scuppers and gutters both drain to downspouts, which empty into catch basins or drain into the municipal system

Interior drains handle water in the middle of large roof expanses. A “flat roof” may actually have four sloping segments leading toward an interior drain capped by a strainer. The interior drain empties into a drain pipe that carries rooftop water through the building to empty into a standpipe.

Smooth Running

Whether your commercial roofing system has interior drains, scuppers or both, when strainers and scuppers clog, water backs up and forms a pond. Some ponding becomes so bad, small trees actually take root. This weight and organic matter can compress roof insulation and lead to water infiltration. Annual or semi-annual inspection and maintenance can prevent clogs and ponding. Just a fraction of an inch of debris damming around a circular strainer can lead to many pounds of water weight on your roof.

The architect who designed your commercial property’s roof and drainage system may not have anticipated add-ons, such as HVAC units, skylights, satellite dishes and other units, that can trap and hold debris. Your roof may benefit from having a new interior drain installed. Other methods can divert rainwater around standing obstacles. A high-quality commercial roofer can help with these problem areas, making suggestions on improvements to your drainage system and get it running smoothly.

Contact FlatRoofReplacement.ca today to learn how we can maintain or improve your commercial roofing drain system.