New Jersey winters are not the coldest in the country, but they may be the hardest on a roof. We hover around freezing for weeks at a time, which means the water on your roof melts and refreezes over and over instead of just sitting there frozen. Every one of those cycles opens a seam a little wider.
By the time the first heavy March rain shows up, the damage is already done. The leak is not new. It has been forming since December. We would rather walk it with you in February.
What We Look For
On a low slope commercial roof, the winter checklist is short but it matters:
- Ponded water at drains and scuppers that froze, expanded, and stressed the flashing
- Split or shrunken membrane seams, especially on older EPDM near penetrations
- Ice buildup at parapet walls and along the roof edge where heat escapes the building
- Loose or lifted terminal bars and counterflashing pulled by ice weight
- Wet insulation showing as soft spots underfoot or as cold signatures on infrared
- Snow load piled unevenly by wind, sitting over one bay instead of spread across the deck
Why Infrared Helps Here
Wet insulation holds heat differently than dry insulation. An infrared scan on the right evening shows you exactly which sections are saturated and which are fine, so you replace the wet area instead of the whole roof. On a large facility that difference is a capital project versus a repair line item.
Get Ahead Of It
If you manage a school, a municipal building, a warehouse, or any facility in New Jersey, a late winter inspection is the cheapest thing on your maintenance calendar. We document what we find with photos and a written scope so you have something to hand your budget office. Call Iron Dome Roofing at (862) 329-4766 and we will get on the roof.