When it comes to commercial buildings, hot tar roofs are by far the most popular option. According to Lone Star Roofing in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, however, it is important that any building owner who gets this type of roof installed on his property understands that these types of roofs need to be repaired or replaced frequently.
Hot tar roofs, also commonly known as “built up” roofs, can need all types of repairs. The most common repair, however, comes up because the roof has started leaking. “A leaky roof is never a good sign,” Lone Star Roofing explains. “But it’s also a mistake to assume that one minor leak means the entire roof of a building is going to have to be replaced.” Commercial roofers in DFW say the biggest benefit to getting a hot tar roof, in fact, is that these roofs can oftentimes be patched up and repaired rather than fully replaced, which is the case with some other roofing styles.
The sooner a leak is fixed, the easier it will (most likely) be to take care of. “If you stand in front of a leak coming through your roof and you just get a few little drips, then you probably have time to get someone to come out and fix the problem as long as you do so in a reasonable amount of time,” says Lone Star Roofing. In situations where the leak is minimal, the experts at Lone Star Roofing say they advise clients not to replace the entire roof. Instead, they recommend patching the leaky areas with additional hot tar.
Patching a hot tar roof can be done in a number of ways, and different roofers may have their own techniques. Nearly any commercial roofers in DFW should be aware of how to patch a hot tar roof, simply because these types of roofs are so common on commercial buildings in the area. Lone Star Roofing recommends calling to get a leak repaired as quickly as possible, because staying on top of the situation will save the building owner money in the long run.
There are times, however, when a leak might not be noticed until it is too late. If the roof has been neglected for too long, or even if it has simply been patched up one too many times and those patches have begun to fail, then the worst-case scenario is that the insulation inside the building has gotten wet. By the time the leak has gotten into the insulation, the roof is probably beyond the point of repair. “That right there might be a reason why someone would need to get a whole new hot tar roof put on,” Long Star Roofing explains.
Any insulation that has gotten wet due to a leak in the roof will have to be torn up, discarded, and replaced with fresh insulation before a new roof can be put back on. “You just can’t go over wet insulation with more roofing because that is going to trap all that moisture in there,” Lone Star Roofing says.
Thankfully, most building owners don’t let their commercial buildings get to that point. When it comes to hot tar roofs, repair is usually cheap enough that most people don’t worry too much about calling quickly for a repair. “Hot tar roofs are notoriously easy to maintain and repair,” Lone Star Roofing explains. “So most building owners or homeowners go ahead and call in a roofing contractor to do a bit of patching right when they discover the initial leak.” Doing so will save anyone a great deal of money over the long term.
Although there are a handful of other reasons why commercial roofers in DFW might be called in to repair a building’s hot tar roof, Lone Star Roofing says that far and away the most common reason for repair is a basic leak. Because hot tar roofs are so durable, not much else can damage them other than leaking water. “We repair or replace hundreds of these roofs each year, and it is rare for anything other than a leak to have caused a problem.” And even once minor damage has occurred, the ease at which roofers can patch up hot tar roofs makes this style an attractive option for commercial real estate developers and all other building owners in the DFW area.
