PHP Roofing Blog

How often do you think about your building’s piping? Though it may not occupy your thoughts often, piping plays a critical role in keeping your building running efficiently. From plumbing and gas to hot and chilled water, commercial piping delivers crucial elements that contribute to your building’s overall comfort. However, piping performs best and lasts longer when you take the time to properly care for it. Moreover, taking steps to preserve your piping also protects the structure of your building’s roof, where piping and equipment is often found. Zero-penetration roof pipe supports elevate piping to better handle load distribution changes and issues such as thermal expansion.

Buildings rely on HVAC systems to ensure comfort year round. However, all too often, the regular upkeep of HVAC systems isn’t a priority…until something goes wrong or they don’t work as they should. Routine HVAC preventative maintenance is essential for comfort, healthier indoor air quality, energy efficiency, and peace of mind—and it’s something that should begin well before an issue occurs. In fact, the best move you can make for ensuring HVAC equipment longevity is to set up your system for long-term success with equipment supports as part of a complete rooftop support system.

Roof safety is paramount for commercial buildings. A roof collapse is the worst-case scenario for a commercial roof, and the effects are widespread. First, the roof isn’t just gone—a collapsing roof creates debris that falls into the building and does damage to the walls and floors. This might render the entire building unusable. Any business inside the building must relocate or come to a halt. Any occupants might be injured or even killed.

Until recently, the best way to inspect a commercial roof was to physically climb on top of it and look around. While getting a close-up view of the rooftop is certainly the best way to check for defects, it’s also potentially quite dangerous, as there’s an increased risk of a slip-and-fall accident. In addition, an untrained inspector can cause unintentional damage by crushing roof panels and piercing the roof membrane.

Half a century ago, your commercial roof coating options were limited to two options: asphalt or gravel. Today, advances in materials science have left those coatings far behind. Roof coatings are now both more durable and more sustainable—able to improve not just the roof itself but the building below it.

Commercial roofs play an essential role in protecting the integrity of your building. As roofing is one of your most important investments, it’s only natural to want it to last for as long as possible. Unfortunately, most commercial roofs don’t end up meeting their promised lifespan. Why? Wear and tear will, of course, take their toll over the years. And while you can’t stop aging, you can slow its pace. The way you control how external factors interact with your roof and leave it vulnerable to damage will play a large role in determining its longevity.

COVID-19 upended life as we knew it in 2020, and the commercial roofing industry was not immune to the fallout. COVID-19 initially caused supply bottlenecks, labor shortages, and enforced pauses in construction. Many of those problems, including a spike in the price of lumber, have been causing difficulties for building managers throughout 2021. As the year comes to an end, we’re looking back and then looking ahead: What did 2021 bring for the commercial roofing industry, and what’s on the horizon for roofing trends in 2022?

How often do you think about the safety of your commercial roof? For building owners and managers, rooftop safety is a topic that should be at the forefront of your mind. After all, the roof is a vitally important part of your building, housing important equipment that keeps your tenants comfortable. Securing this equipment while ensuring your rooftop stays protected from damage is essential. To do so, you must be able to provide safe, regular access for maintenance workers and staff.

Commercial roofs are the most vulnerable and also the most important part of any commercial building. Although the commercial roof plays a vital role in insulating the building and situating building infrastructure, it’s also surprisingly delicate. It can be damaged by high winds, debris, or even something as small as an errant footstep. What’s more, damage tends to become ramified. A pinhole in the membrane turns into a leak, which turns into rot, and suddenly your have to replace a roof beam.

When you discover issues with your commercial roof, you may wonder whether a total roof replacement is in your near future, or whether you can get by with a simple repair. We discuss common signs of trouble, what they could mean, and how to make the right decision for your roof.