Dirtiest Commercial Roof Drains 2025
Whoever first said, It is a dirty job, but somebody has to do it, might have been talking to a roofer tasked with cleaning the dirtiest commercial roof drains. It is a job as unpleasant as it sounds.
I am going to talk with you today about the damage that drain clogs can do to your roof, and how Spokane Roofing Company can help you to preserve the life of your roof by preventing clogs.
Dirty roof drains are out there, different in different areas of town because of physical conditions and vegetation, as well as the elements. In Spokane, for example, the northside has more pine trees and pine needles, while downtown, the I-90 freeway corridor, and major thoroughfares have more road grime. On the southside and especially in the Palouse farmlands, soil and fertilizer accumulate on roofs, blown there by the wind.
There typically are multiple layers of sludge on a TPO or PVC flat roof, stacked up over time. We first remove needles and leaves, before we attack the gunk underneath, taking care not to damage the flat roof’s surface and seams.
An untrained and inexperienced flat roof cleaner will do more harm than good to your membrane roof. Spokane Roofing has been cleaning commercial flat roofs for decades. We have developed safe, effective ways to clean your roof and get bags of debris off of it.
Specific species of trees require a different approach to cleaning. For example, when you see conifers’ pine needles in your parking lot, you will have needles on your roof. Although seed bearing deciduous trees such as Horse Chestnut have spiny fruit, we rarely find this fruit on commercial roofs. It is much more common to find wind-blown maple, oak, and chestnut leaves on rooftops.
Another issue arises when maintenance contractors service rooftop HVAC units. The contractors’ tools and HVAC equipment access doors have sharp metal edges that can puncture or slice a flat roof’s single-ply membrane. Even a dropped screwdriver or stepped-on screw can cause roof damage.
When we clean a roof, we also inspect it, looking for free-flowing drains as well as any surface damage. Believe it or not, we have seen road grime and leaves up to six inches deep on a roof. Building owners easily can miss these hidden hazards until they become a serious problem.
One item that we look for during an inspection is drain baskets, which are just what they sound like. Drain baskets are strainers on a drain opening that filter and contain debris, while allowing water to pass. A roof drain without a basket is much more susceptible to clogging. A significant number of drains do not have baskets because not every drain will accommodate them. Remember to ask us about drain baskets before we inspect your roof.
The bottom line is that we urge you to have your roof inspected and cleaned twice a year, a service included in our Roof Asset Management (RAM) package. RAM is a preventative maintenance program and a small expense now that might eliminate the need for a large expense in the future. When we do RAM inspections, we have eyes on any current and potential problems, because we know what to find and where to find it. Cleaning is the biggest part of any maintenance plan, necessary much more frequently than repair.
Stay Off Next Year’s Dirtiest Commercial Roof Drains List
Call us today at (509) 838-8633 to clean clogged roof drains, schedule a Spring roof inspection, or repair a commercial roof leak. Our Roof Asset Management team will help to extend your roofs life and eliminate expensive, preventable, business disruptions.
Citations
- Spokane Roofing Company – Roof Asset Management Program
- Spokane Roofing Company – Clogged Roof Drains Inspection and Maintenance.