Maintenance Roofing - Smart Roofing Contractor Repair, Installation, Storm Hail Damage, Chicago, Arlington Heights serving Northwest Suburbs

The Importance of Flat Roof Maintenance

As a property or home owner, you rarely ever see your flat roof, which can lead to missed maintenance and a shortened lifespan. Flat roof maintenance is just as important as any other building maintenance. Whether it is a residential flat roof or a commercial flat roof, both should be inspected at least once a year to make sure everything is holding up, and that any needed repairs are done. A good roof maintenance program can extend the life of your flat roof by years, saving money in the long run.

While the flat roof membrane, EPDM, TPO, or PVC, will easily last its lifespan of 20-30 years, the roof penetrations, perimeter flashings, and membrane seams can sometimes fail prematurely. If such a failure happens, and goes unattended for weeks or months, it can ruin the whole roof system resulting in costly flat roof replacement. To avoid situations like these, a consistent flat roof maintenance schedule should be followed with at least one flat roof inspection in the spring. A flat roof’s worst enemy is snow, ice, and cold temperatures, with many roofs being damaged by the frigid winds and freeze/thaw cycles of winter. A spring flat roof inspection can reveal any issues or problems that may have been caused by the winter, and in most cases Smart Roofing Inc. can repair these small issues before they create serious damage. We have We also recommend having another inspection done in the fall, to make sure your commercial or residential flat roof does not try to weather the worst season with holes or other deficiencies. A proactive approach to your roof will always be more cost effective than a reactive approach, saving you headaches, and money, in the long run.

We offer full maintenance programs, for either commercial flat roofs or residential flat roofs. We have trained service crews that have experience installing and repairing modified bitumen roofs, EPDM roofs, TPO roofs, and PVC roofs, as well as sheet metal work. We work with homeowners, associations, property managers, and builders alike to guarantee that you are provided with the best service. Ranging from small flashing repairs to flat roof patches, to gutter cleanings, and full replacements, Smart Roofing Inc. is your go to roofer for all things flat roofs.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or would like to schedule your roof flat roof maintenance inspection, flat roof roof assessment, or flat roof estimate, feel free to contact the roofing experts at Smart Roofing Inc. at (847) 797-0404 or email us at contactus@smartroofers.com

Proper Gutter Maintenance

Proper gutter maintenance is the #1 way to prevent expensive water damage to your home. Gutters are designed to do one thing — channel water away from the foundation — and they’re critical to protecting the structural integrity of your house. However, in order for gutters to do their job properly, they need to be maintained the property, and have to be kept free of clogs, holes, and sags.

Here are the most common gutter problems and how to fix them:

Clogged Gutters – This is the most common problem of all. Left untended, gutters and downspouts get so clogged with debris that they’re rendered useless. The excess weight of leaves, twigs, and standing water can also make them sag and pull away from the fascia. Clean them at least once a year, and twice a year if you have a lot of trees nearby.

Sagging Gutters – This is usually a problem with the hangers, the hardware that secures the gutters to the fascia. They might have deteriorated over time, the fasteners may have backed out of the wood, or they’re spaced too far apart to support the weight of full gutters. The cost to fix it yourself is cheap; hangers generally cost $10 or less apiece, and the fasteners run about $1 each.

Leaks and Holes – Leaks in gutter joints can be sealed by caulking the joint from the inside with gutter sealant. A tube costs about $5. Very small holes can be filled with gutter sealant. Larger holes will require a patch.

Downspouts Draining Too Close to the Foundation – Downspouts need to extend several feet from the house, or they’ll dump right into the basement. Gutter extensions attached to the bottom of the downspout will discharge water well beyond the foundation. They’re inexpensive and easy to install.

Contact Smart Roofing, Inc. at 847.797.0404 or email contactus@smartroofers.com for all of your residential and commercial roofing and gutter needs!

-excerpts from www.houselogic.com

The Importance of Commercial Roof Maintenance & Repair

The roof is a commercial building’s first line of defense from natural hazards such as wind, rain, fire, hail, ice, snow, and extreme heat. It is also the most vulnerable part of your building. Every day, your roof is exposed to weather and other elements that may contribute to decay and deterioration, increasing the risk of damage to the roof itself and the contents below it.

The International Building Code (IBC), which sets safety standards for commercial building, requires that roofs “serve to protect the building.” Having a roof that “protects the building” starts with design, materials selection, and installation at the time a facility is built or remodeled—events that occur infrequently and may be outside the scope of most businesses’ ongoing activity. But it also includes a regular program of inspection, maintenance, and repair—activities that should be part of your operational planning in order to prolong the useful life of your roof and make sure it does its job in protecting your business from weather damage.

Contact SMART Roofing, Inc. today at 847.797.0404 for your commercial and residential roof maintenance & repair.

Excerpt from Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety

Maintenance Tips to Help Prevent Roof Leaks

Leave Relpy

These 5 simple tips will help us locate current or future leaks and show how a maintenance program can help identify potential problems before they cause damage.

If it pops through the roof, we will look at it. Penetrations are the most common leak sources and will stop the natural water flow off a roof. These include:

Chimneys. The top leak source. Does the chimney have a cricket? Is it properly step flashed and counter flashed? Does it need to be sealed?
Skylights. Water gets trapped behind them. Is the flashing in good repair? Is the skylight itself leaking?
Plumbing vents. Do the vent stacks have neoprene or rubber that has cracked with age? Do they need to be sealed or painted? Have critters chewed on the pipe or flashing?
Is the satellite or cable flashed properly?

Living on the edge. A drip edge is not just aesthetically pleasing, it is important to help ensure water is kept away from the fascia and moved off the roof. A common leak source in the eaves and cause of wood rot is a missing drip edge. Wind-driven rain will enter the gap between the roof deck and fascia board.
A drip edge also helps to keep out insects, critters, and snakes. Make sure to check the drip edge when looking for leaks.

Every step I take. Areas where step flashing should be installed are a common leak source and maintenance item. We inspect these areas for damage: Dormers, Roof-to-wall transitions, and Wherever low-quality sealant or mastic has been used in the past.

What’s in YOUR attic? Many times, homeowners think the roof is the culprit, but problems can come from improper ventilation, plumbing, air conditioning, condensation, vent fans, and animal or bug infestation in the attic.

Be on the lookout for:

Algae stains on interior plywood
The “M” word: mold
Soaked insulation when it hasn’t rained
Black rings or rust around nails, which is the first sign moisture is condensing in attic spaces

Is there a lack of ventilation that is causing the attic to overheat or accumulate moisture?
Are the intake vents clogged with paint, spider webs, dust, or insulation?

Mind in the gutter. Many homeowners do not realize the importance of their gutters. They need to be installed and sloped properly to drain, tightly fastened, and free of debris.

A preventive maintenance plan consisting of periodic inspections, routine maintenance, and minor repairs can help avoid costly problems down the road. A thorough inspection, performed regularly by a SMART Roofing, Inc. professional roofing contractor, can monitor the roof’s condition and help prevent small problems from becoming major roof leaks.

Contact Smart Roofing, Inc. today at 847.747.0404 for all of your residential and commercial roofing needs.

10 Tips for Fall Home Maintenance

Autumn is that fabulous time of the year when families take time out to visit apple orchards and pumpkin patches. The season offers respite from summer’s heat and gently nudges us toward the cooler, wetter and, for many, snowier days ahead.
You can take simple steps now to ensure your home and yard are ready for winter. Tackle a few chores each week, and you’ll be sitting pretty before the first snowflakes fall.

1. Gutter check. Clear leaves, pine needles and dirt from gutters and examine downspouts for damage. Water trapped in clogged gutters can cause serious damage to your roof or walls. Make sure downspouts direct water away from the foundation, sidewalks and driveways, so that they don’t become icy.

2. Dodge drafts. Check for air leaks, such as gaps along the baseboard, at the junctures of the walls and ceiling, or around windows and doors. Weather stripping or caulk can cure most draft woes. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, potential energy savings from reducing drafts in a home may range from 5 to 30 percent annually.

3. TLC for HVAC. Well in advance of cold weather, call in an HVAC contractor to test your furnace’s output and give your system a tune-up. This technician can also check to make sure your heating system is not generating hazardous levels of carbon monoxide. The technician should include filter cleaning in his tune-up, but be prepared to replace or clean your filter monthly once you turn on the heat.

4. Chimney checkup. Hire an experienced chimney sweep to inspect your chimney. An inspection generally costs between $50 and $100. The National Fire Protection Agency recommends having your chimney cleaned every time you burn through a cord of wood.

5. Air out. If you have a window air conditioning unit, take it out of the window or place a waterproof cover over it to prevent damage.

6. Change filters. Change or clean filters in stove vents, humidifiers, clothes dryers and room fans. Clean air filters will keep your family healthier in cooler months, when your house is closed up.

7. Store outdoor furniture. Unless you’re lucky enough to live in a place where year-round cookouts are the norm, it’s time to power wash outdoor furniture and cushions. Once they’re dry, store cushions so they’re ready to use next spring.

8. Be wise about water. Disconnect garden hoses. If you live in a cold weather climate and it’s at all possible, you’ll also want to use an indoor valve to shut off and drain water from pipes leading to outside faucets. This reduces the chance of freezing in the section of pipe just inside the house. If you have an irrigation system, consider having a professional provide necessary seasonal maintenance and repair broken sprinkler heads before cold weather hits.

9. De-Leaf. Beautiful autumn foliage is less attractive on the ground than it is in your trees. Most areas have rules about burning leaves or even what types of containers they should be collected in — make a call before you clean up the yard. Just remember that piles of leaves on your lawn will kill the grass below. Have fruit trees? Be diligent about cleaning up fallen plums, pears and apples or you could find yourself playing host to millions of fruit flies.

10. Be fan-tastic. Change the direction of your ceiling fan so that it spins clockwise and re-circulates warm air trapped near the ceiling. This simple step helps distribute warmer air to the places where it’s most needed and can lower energy usage up to 15 percent.

-By Zillow as seen in the Daily Herald October 5, 2012

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