PHP Roofing Blog

The summer season is here, ushering in months of sunshine, vacationing…and hurricanes forming in the ocean. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, and this year, it’s especially important to make sure your buildings are ready. According to the Atlantic Defense Fund, hurricanes in recent years have been accompanied by higher storm surges, stronger winds, and more destruction. These storms are becoming stronger and intensifying faster, which is causing hurricanes to become more costly for property-owning businesses and homeowners.

Working on rooftops can be dangerous. According to BLS.gov, roofing workers had one of the highest rates of nonfatal falls, with 86.9 cases per 10,000 full-time workers in 2016. In 2020, the number of fatal accidents for roofers was 50 per 100,000 full-time workers. It’s not surprising that working on rooftops incurs risk, with heavy lifting, frequent climbing, and working in the scorching heat. OSHA considers roof safety to be paramount, and it’s something that commercial/industrial building managers must consider.

You may have noticed that other commercial buildings have HVAC systems, solar panels, and other equipment stored on their rooftops. You may also wonder if you should do the same for your building but aren’t certain about the reasons why commercial buildings keep equipment on their rooftops. Good news—the benefits of storing heavy equipment on a rooftop far outweigh any negatives. In fact, you can compensate for potential negatives by planning your rooftop layout and investing in a complete rooftop support system.

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?