First Steps to Take When a Commercial Roof Leak is Suspected

Question: What are the first things I should do when I suspect a roof leak?

Answer: If someone suspects they have a roof leak there are a few things that should be done right off the bat.

• Assess if it is an urgent situation – is there any type of safety concern? Is there product damage that might occur depending on where it is leaking? Is it leaking over some expensive machinery? There’s some risk assessment that needs to be quickly. For example, in a retail environment, someone might need to tape off the area and put something underneath the area to catch the water. The last thing anyone wants is a slip and fall, or anyone getting injured.
• Trouble-shoot the water source. In some instances, our customer service center has received calls for a roof leak when it actually wasn’t a roof issue at all. It could be an air conditioning problem, a condensation issue or a plumbing issue. We recommend our clients do some troubleshooting before we dispatch a technician. The last thing we want to do is come out and have to tell you oops it’s not a roofing issue after all. One example would be if there’s a drop ceiling, pop the ceiling tile to take a look up there and make sure there isn’t a sprinkler line or condensation coming from the ductwork from the HVAC area.

Ultimately once a roof leak is confirmed and all necessary arrangements have been made to prevent safety hazards, contact the experts at Simon Roofing.