Scheduled roof inspections and roof maintenance are the best ways to avoid the most common roofing problems. Roofs should be inspected at least twice a year, in the spring and fall. They should be looked over again after contractors work on the roof or after a hurricane, hail storm, lightning strike or ice storm.

"Routine roof maintenance is a good investment," says Luther Mock, president of the Roof Consultants Institute (RCI), an association of professional roof consultants, architects and engineers who specialize in roof systems. "It can prolong the life of the roof."

Water Hazards

The most common roof problem is a leak. Routine maintenance and inspections help ensure the roof is able to protect the building against its main antagonist: water.

"Water is a universal solvent," Mock says. "It will damage anything, given time. If you can keep water off the roof, you will get more service life out of your roof covering."

Something as simple as clearing drains can prevent a plethora of problems because the roof dries faster. Unfortunately, starting a maintenance plan now might prevent future problems, but it won't vanquish existing problems.

If the roof has been leaking for some time, the structural integrity of the roofing system could already be damaged and its load capacity compromised, says Mock. This is a special concern for some roof decking materials, such as cementious wood fiber, which are more vulnerable to water damage than others.

Equally serious is wet insulation, "lnsulation must be dry to do its job," Mock said. "If it's not doing its job, the building manager or occupants will end up paying more for energy costs."

To detect wet insulation, a roofing expert will conduct a non-destructive survey with infrared thermography, capacitance or nuclear test method options. Wet insulation warmed during the day will hold heat after sunset. An infrared scan pinpoints where heat radiates from the insulation.