The majority of commercial buildings in Auckland have flat roofs. This is the best choice to make, as it’s low maintenance, more sturdy and better suited to withstand the elements. However, one problem that can occur with flat roofs in the collection of puddles of water. This can be a problem as detecting it depends on you having access to your roof and being able to spot the issue before it gets worse. Here’s why water ponding is bad and how you can fix it if it occurs.
What Is Water Ponding?
When a heavy storm occurs, after it snows or after several days of persistent rainfall, water can collect on a flat roof in a large puddle or pond. If this water persists two days later, it indicates there could be a problem with your roof, gutters or waterproofing. Remember that if your roof was properly constructed and you’ve been maintaining it, you don’t have anything to fear in the short term. You won’t experience any leaks, but if you leave water ponding to worsen, it can eventually cause issues. This could be weakening the structure of your roof, intensifying UV damage and causing staining as dirty water collects and stagnates.
What Causes Water Ponding?
1) Poor Insulation
Often a building’s insulation becomes flattened as time passes, and this causes it to dip in certain areas. This problem usually results in water collecting in these dips. A simple visual inspection of your insulation will help to determine if this is a problem or not.
2) Roof Structures
Your roof might have been professionally installed – but what about other elements such as your skylights or external facing air conditioning and heating units? If these parts of your building weren’t properly installed, you could be trapping water on your roof. Thankfully, it’s fairly easy to have roofing ‘crickets’ installed, which will direct water towards your drains.
3) Poorly Installed Drains
Often we don’t realise a building drain isn’t working until we see water accumulate where it shouldn’t be. It could be that the drains aren’t at the correct height or that they’re installed in such a way that they’re keeping water from flowing away, causing ponding to occur.
4) Major Structural Issues
If you’ve consulted with experts and all the above elements aren’t to blame, there’s a good chance that the issue is with the entire roof and building structure. This situation is the worst case scenario, and it rarely occurs.
No matter what’s causing your ponding, you’ll want to get it fixed ASAP. It might not be pressing now, but it will be later, and Auckland Commercial Roofing Contractors can affordably fix it for you today.
