Roofing, Cladding & Insulation

PLANNED, PROACTIVE MAINTENANCE

Out of sight, out of mind, but not for long. Without an effective roof maintenance plan, minor issues can soon become major issues. Ian Dryden outlines how SIG D&T is working with schools to prioritise roof maintenance issues.

Fix a small problem immediately and it will prevent it from becoming a bigger problem later on. It is an idiom that could have been written with the maintenance of school and academy flat roofs in mind because a timely repair will save future expenditure and even replacement.

Funding, or the lack of it, is of course a major issue when it comes to schools and roof maintenance. But it is not the only issue. All too often there is a lack of expertise and foresight from those at the school with responsibility for maintenance but who have insufficient specialist knowledge.

In this situation, what tends to happen when a problem occurs is that an ill-informed person will, with the best of intentions, contact a roofing contractor – probably one found on the internet. This contractor will then offer a superficially low-cost, inappropriate short-term fix to win the work, which is very likely to result in the problem reoccurring in the near future and the process starting over again.

One particular challenge faced by those responsible for maintenance is the breadth of roofing knowledge needed because a school may occupy buildings of different ages and roof types, each of which have different requirements and challenges for both maintenance and repair. Another major issue is that roofs are often out of sight so minor problems can go entirely unnoticed for years until they become a major problem, by which time the remedial costs associated with the fix will be significant.

The most common flat roof problems that will need to be identified include:

Age

While modern roofing systems have a greater longevity than those of the past, your flat roof may have failed simply because it has reached the end of its natural life

Temperature

Solar gain can cause a roof membrane to heat up. However, insulation beneath the membrane retains this heat, causing older membranes to crack and blister.

Structural movement

All flat roofs and roof structures expand and contract due to diurnal temperature variations. Modern flat roofs are developed to take this into account, older systems could fail prematurely.

Blisters

These are a sign that water is inside the roof system so that when the roof heats up, the water turns into vapour and tries to escape, producing pressure blisters

Delamination

This is where the roof membrane layers separate so that there is no longer a mechanical connection between them, which can cause the membrane to lift and fail

Poor design and detailing

Inadequate falls, supporting beams too far apart, interstitial condensation and poor detailing around upstands are all signs of poor design

Poor workmanship

Any system can be expertly designed, but if it is not installed correctly, it will fail.

A lack of detailed knowledge means that roof maintenance will invariably be reactive, occurring only when one of these problems becomes obvious and expensive to fix.

The alternative way of managing roof repairs is to use an ongoing routine involving regular inspection of the roof. Minor faults can be identified and fixed before they cause a problem – often removing the need for more significant (and costly) interventions later. The result of a detailed roof inspection will be a roof maintenance plan in which expenditure can be planned and budgeted for, because problems can be anticipated with regular assessment.

An annual roof survey will be sufficient to identify all issues, both minor and major. To help triage the issues effectively, a ‘traffic light’ system prioritises maintenance issues. This could look something like this:

Red – immediate attention/replacement of roofing systems required

Issue: For example, this may be a breakdown of the membrane, leaking in multiple areas Requirement: This will require a stripping of systems and possible rebuilding from the deck up Disruption involved: Major – closure of buildings until repaired Cost: Major.

Amber – attention required to avoid significant damage developing

Issue: Systems starting to fail, which may become significant in a year or so if no action is taken Requirement: An overlay may be required to halt deterioration alongside other preventative measures Disruption involved: Minimal, buildings undergoing works usually remain in use at school’s discretion Cost: Medium, saving money in longer term.

Green – minimal or no work required

Issue: None to very minor wear Requirement: Monitor roof to prevent deterioration, undertake minor maintenance Disruption Involved: None Cost: None to very minimal.

Working with a partner, such as SIG D&T, this type of reporting will then result in a fouryear maintenance plan specific to a particular school, its roof types and their condition. The plan will be focused on heading-off minor roofing issues before they develop into major issues requiring expensive remedies. Based on the issues identified, SIG D&T – a product-agnostic supplier – can even help advise on the most effective distribution of funds available to develop the most costeffective roof maintenance strategy, which will help the school reduce roof maintenance costs in the long term.  www.sigdandt.co.uk