Caring for your commercial roof is important when it comes to maintaining the overall integrity of your commercial space.

Routine inspections and repairs are among the best things you can do to keep your commercial roof in good condition. Unfortunately, not all of the damage that your roof sustains will be repairable.

Here are three types of damage that will require you to replace your commercial roofing materials in order to preserve the watertight seal of your roof over time.

1. Low Spots

Most commercial roofs have a flat design. This makes it easy to spot any problem areas when they appear. Low spots are a major cause for concern when it comes to your commercial roof.

You can typically identify low spots by finding where water pools on your roof's surface. A low spot is caused by the compression of your roof's insulation. Compressed insulation isn't able to prevent the transfer of heat as effectively, so you may notice an increase in your monthly energy expenses.

There is no way to repair low spots. Your entire roof will need to be replaced to eliminate low spots and restore the efficiency of your commercial roof.

2. Blistering

If you have a membrane roofing system on your commercial building, blistering could become a problem at some point.

Blistering occurs when a bubble forms between two of the layers in a membrane roof. The bubble compromises the integrity of the roof, allowing it to leak. Blistering seems to be more common in areas that experience extreme temperature fluctuations throughout the year.

Very minor blistering can sometimes be repaired, but a full roof replacement is the only way to ensure blistering will not cause your roof to leak in the future.

3. Holes

Holes can cause serious problems for any commercial roof. Many of the holes that you will find on your roof are caused by equipment that must be installed on the roof itself.

Commercial buildings will often have an HVAC unit that is mounted to the roof. The installation and maintenance of your HVAC unit could cause the delicate membrane that protects your roof to tear. Holes allow water to leak through and put the structural stability of your building at risk.

Be sure that you replace any roof with visible holes or tears, and create raised pathways to safely access your HVAC unit after a new commercial roof has been installed. For more information about commercial roofing, contact a local company.