Commercial Roofing in Lancaster, PA: How to Protect Your Roof
Commercial buildings in Pennsylvania, and the tri-state area, often face many weather-related challenges. Maintaining your buildings’ infrastructure, particularly the roof (as it’s the most susceptible to weather related incidents) can be challenging and as such, expensive. Bridging the gap between the most cost-effective maintenance procedures and completely out-of-budget roofing systems is the key to keeping your commercial roof long-lasting and headache-free.
Whether you’re researching particulars about a commercial reroof, various roof coatings, flat roofing solutions or the ability to repair a weather related issue, this article will provide you a better awareness of commercial roofing in Lancaster Pennsylvania (and surrounding areas).
Frequent issues with Commercial Roofing in Pennsylvania
It’s important to be mindful of various weather-related issues that occur within the region when assessing the proper way to safeguard your roof in Lancaster, PA.
Sun Exposure
Lancaster, PA and the surrounding tri-state areas can become susceptible to very high temperatures in the summer months; with temperatures in excess of 90 degrees. The consequence of these high temperatures can be faster roof-degradation relative to other regions that have relatively cooler temperatures in the summer months – or simply more stable temperatures across the year. Moreover, it can be the fluctuation in temperatures during the entire course of the year that can also wreak havoc on your roof.
Experienced commercial roofing companies in Lancaster, PA will have the skills and knowledge to advise business owners in the preventative measures necessary to reduce the damage that stems from high temperatures and long term, direct sun exposure. Various roof coatings and materials, such as PVC systems, can help in mitigating the effects of high-heat during the summer months. TPO roofing systems, a subset of single-ply, can also be excellent solutions to many years of prolonged sun exposure. EPDM and metal roofing would probably be the least recommended in an area with high or rapid fluctuations in temperatures.
For more information on EPDM vs TPO, read our article entitled “TPO Roofing Vs. EPDM Roofing
Wind Damage
From snow storms and rain storms to general long bouts of high wind, commercial and residential roofs in Lancaster PA are constantly being subjected to the damage caused by wind. Wind damage can result in many detrimental effects to your roof including broken gutters and ripped off shingles. On larger commercial properties, high winds often make their way under materials and pull them up. This results in coarse, bumpy areas on your flat roof. Eventually, a longer-term effect results in the ripping of the membrane, tearing of the seams, and damage to the flashing. Once this occurs, you have a situation where there is a high probability of water seeping through where not only additional external but also internal damage starts to materialize. This is a situation every business owner should dread. Any competent commercial roofing contractor in Lancaster, PA should be able to advise you on the appropriate preventative measures, as well as the best solutions to wind-related damages to your commercial roof. For further information, read our previous article “Wind Mitigation: Is Your Building Ready for Spring?”
Make sure to inspect your roof for loose shingles before major leaking damage occurs!
High Temperatures
While we already went over the effects of prolonged exposure to the sun, it’s also important to make a quick point about temperatures – nominally. The highest recorded temperature in Lancaster PA is 107 degrees fahrenheit! This occurred in the month of August. Temperatures this high can not only damage your roof but also severely increase your energy costs. Dark-colored roofs can contribute to hotter internal temperatures of your building. White roof coatings and reflective roofing systems can help to mitigate this heating effect and thus, reduce your energy bills. Establishing a layer of ISO insulation board underneath your roofing membrane can also help deter the negative effects of high temperatures by providing a degree of insulation.
Water Damage
Excessive rain can always find its way into a poorly maintained roof. Oftentimes, a flat commercial roof can quickly turn into a swimming pool; and while commercial roofing materials are made to deter the elements, they were not made to fight against long periods of sitting water. That’s why it’s especially important to maintain the integrity and functioning of your drainage systems. A clogged drainage system can create water pooling that can quickly leak and find its way into your commercial building.
Beyond drainage systems, even a routine check of your HVAC system is recommended; as clogged HVAC systems can also be a precursor to standing water or can leak into the interior and be mistaken for a roof leak.
Before we get into popular types of roof systems in Lancaster PA, we’d like to point out an important axiom to keep in mind. At J Smucker Contracting, we always advise our clients: “Preventative Roof Maintenance is Way Better than Reactive Roof Repair”.
Now let’s discuss various roofing types.
Over time, water-pooling can find it's way into your roofing system.
Common Types of Roof Protection in Lancaster, PA
For any business looking into roof replacement, it’s important to understand the various types of roofing systems and their respective and varying abilities to protect your roof.
TPO
A very popular type of roofing system found in the area and across the country is TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin). TPO is a thermoplastic combined with a rubber roofing material. Generally TPO is a less expensive roofing system, but also has a pretty long life span; with warranties starting at 20 years or more. TPO roofs are characterized by a white coat and lend themselves to great energy saving properties. Another great benefit of TPO roofs is that the seams of a TPO roof are heat-welded. A heat-welded roofing seam is less susceptible to leaks which can give any business owner great peace of mind.
PVC
For most commercial roof situations in the region, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is the highest recommended and preferred roofing system for buildings – specifically flat roofs. While PVC can be more expensive than its single-ply counterparts, its benefits are wide-ranging and well worth the investment. PVC has skyrocketed in popularity with both commercial roofers and building owners alike due to its durability, material longevity (usually having a warranty even longer than TPO), and its ability to adapt to temperature changes. It’s also energy efficient as PVC is a reflective material, which comes in handy during the hot summer months.
In Lancaster PA and surrounding areas, we often see very abrupt changes in the weather in a relatively short period of time. For example, in the fall months, you can have freezing cold temperatures in the morning, which quickly escalate to spring/ summer temperatures in the afternoon, and a swift plummet back to freezing as the night progresses. For building materials exposed to the elements (hint: your roof!) this can have predictably negative effects. PVC, which is composed of synthetic rubber, has the ability to expand and contract and is generally more pliable. These properties make it supremely suited for the many sharp changes in temperature we experience in this part of the country.
For most commercial roof situations, PVC is the preferred roofing system
EPDM
EPDM (ethylene propylene dieneterpolymer) is a rubber material that used to be the preferred commercial roofing material for many years. However its popularity has waned over the years and has been taken over by PVC and TPO. EPDM is basically a black rubber roof (we’ve all seen them) and is most commonly associated with flat commercial roofs. EPDM is generally the cheapest roofing material on the market, but with all things, the cheapest solution is not always the right solution. In terms of the elements, a major drawback of EPDM roofing installation is that the seams are not heat-sealed. For this reason, an EPDM roof can be more susceptible to water leaks at the seams.
EPDM, unlike PVC, is also more prone to expanding and shrinking, which can put extra pressure on the seams. In areas like Lancaster where you have sharp increases or decreases in the weather, this can exacerbate the damage. For this reason, EPDM usually has the shortest lifespan and therefore warranty.
Metal Roofs
No matter what type of roofing system you have, it’s always important to take preventative measures to extend the life of your commercial or residential roof. This will save you both time, money, and general frustration. Preventative maintenance should be carried out by a qualified, insured, commercial roofing contractor who physically gets on your roof once or twice a year and executes a precise, detailed inspection. Tiny holes and tears of a roofing material are often imperceptible to the untrained eye, so it’s important to find an expert. Additionally, preventative maintenance measures are often stipulated as a requirement to a manufacturer’s warranty.
J Smucker Contracting provides preventative maintenance services for all commercial buildings, large and small. Contact us today for a free estimate on preventative maintenance!