Mildenhall Roofers provides flat and pitched commercial roofing work for businesses, farms and light industrial units in Soham and the surrounding area.
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On commercial and agricultural properties, roofing work ranges from felt membrane repairs on flat-roofed retail units to full re-sheeting of large agricultural buildings, single-ply membrane replacements on warehouses, and lead or aluminium flashing work on industrial units. The materials and methods vary considerably, but the one thing they have in common is that a poorly maintained roof always becomes a more expensive problem than a well-maintained one.
For property owners and business managers in Soham and nearby areas, keeping a commercial roof in good condition is not just about avoiding leaks. Water ingress can damage stock, equipment and internal fit-outs, disrupt operations and - if it reaches structural timbers or decking - create repair bills far higher than the cost of the original roofing maintenance.
A new or newly repaired commercial roof is only the start. What happens in the years after installation largely determines how long that roof performs well. On flat roofs in particular, the interval between installation and the first problem is almost always shortened by a lack of basic maintenance. This section covers what to check, how often, and what to do about it.
Commercial flat roofs should be inspected at least twice a year - typically in autumn before the wet season begins and in spring once the worst of the cold weather has passed. A basic inspection does not require a specialist on every occasion. A named person within the business who knows what they are looking for can carry out a visual check from a safe vantage point. The specialist inspection, where someone physically checks the membrane surface and details, is worth having every two to three years on a roof in good condition, or annually on an older or previously repaired roof.
Blocked drainage outlets on a flat commercial roof cause more problems than almost any other single issue. Leaf debris, moss, bird droppings and general airborne material accumulate around outlets, particularly in autumn. A blocked outlet means water sits on the membrane rather than running off. Over time, the weight of ponded water compresses any insulation beneath the membrane, reducing its thermal performance, and the prolonged contact softens and breaks down the membrane surface.
On larger roofs, internal drainage systems with downpipes running through the building are common. These need checking inside as well as at the outlet on the roof surface. Signs of a blocked internal drain include water that appears much further into the building than the roof edge, or a strong smell of stagnant water during warmer months.
Clearing outlets costs almost nothing. Leaving them blocked can mean a membrane replacement within a few years of an otherwise well-laid installation.
Moss on a flat commercial roof is more than an aesthetic issue. Moss holds moisture against the membrane surface, and the root structures of some mosses and lichens can penetrate into the surface layer of older felt membranes. On mineral-surfaced felt, moss growth also dislodges the surface dressing, accelerating UV degradation of the felt beneath.
Biocide treatments applied in dry conditions kill existing growth and inhibit regrowth for a period. They should be followed by a gentle sweep once the moss is dead and dry. Pressure washing is not recommended on most flat roof membranes - the force can lift the surface layer or force water under flashings.
On agricultural buildings in the Soham area and nearby places including Barton Mills, Icklingham, Elveden and Cavenham, pitched sheet roofs can develop significant moss and lichen growth along north-facing slopes. This is worth treating before the growth becomes heavy enough to trap water at fixings and accelerate corrosion.
Flashings are the strips of lead, aluminium or code-appropriate metal that seal the junction between the roof membrane and any vertical surface - parapet walls, chimney stacks, upstands around plant rooms or rooflights. Thermal movement over winter, particularly after a hard frost, can cause flashings to pull away from the wall or lift at their edges. Once a flashing has moved even a few millimetres, water can track behind it and run down the inside of the wall without ever appearing on the membrane surface.
A spring inspection should always include checking that flashings are flush and properly fixed, that any pointing in the chase above a lead flashing is intact, and that sealant at the base of upstand flashings has not cracked. These are small fixes if caught early and significant repairs if left for a full season.
Some things should not wait for the next scheduled inspection. Call a roofer if you see active water ingress during rainfall, if a section of membrane has clearly lifted or split, if a flashing has come away from the wall, or if there is visible daylight through any part of a commercial roof structure. These situations get worse with time and with each further rainfall event.
On agricultural roofs with corrugated or profiled sheet materials, a loose sheet in high winds is a safety risk as well as a weathertightness problem. Secure or remove the sheet safely from below if you can, and get a roofer to assess and replace it.
Keeping a brief written record of inspections, repairs and any work carried out on a commercial roof is genuinely useful. It helps you identify patterns - repeated leaks in the same area over several years often indicate a structural issue rather than a simple membrane failure. It also means you have an accurate picture of the roof's history when you come to decide whether to repair or replace. A simple spreadsheet or even a notebook with dates, observations and photographs is sufficient.
Mildenhall Roofers works on commercial, agricultural and light industrial roofing in Soham and the surrounding area. If your building is due a survey or you have spotted something that needs attention, call us to arrange an inspection and a written assessment of what the roof needs.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
