Deluxe Roofing A Small Business view of Commercial Roofing | Page 14

Inclement weather can be a major cause of damage to a flat or gentle sloping
commercial roof as snow and water can collect and damage the roof. Despite
flat roofs being engineered and designed to support heavy weights such as
drifting snow and accumulated rainfall older or poorly maintained roofs
have been known to collapse under the strain. Another often overlooked
issue caused by inclement weather that is common in northern Europe and
Canada is a thing called an Ice Dam. These are common in colder climes
and they can form blocking the natural drainage run offs on flat or pitches
roofs. The result is water builds up behind the Ice Dam and starts to
permeate the roofing material and seep into the underlying infrastructure.
Overtime this can rot supporting beams and cause real structural damage if
not a complete cave in.
Further to knowing about the technical roofing issues you must become
conversant with the local regulatory codes and practices. For example, in
Canada and in many other countries a commercial roof must have a fire
resistance UL Class A rating. There are three UL ratings, Class A, Class B,
and Class C. Where Class A is the most resistant to flame spreading and
hence the certificate you will require to be in regulatory compliance.
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