This year was an unusual year for the Church roof. There was a lot of traffic on the roof this summer due to the installation of the Church air conditioning systems. The painting of the Church`s steeple brought additional traffic on the roof as well. With hints of colder weather approaching, it was time to perform a visual check to see how the Church roof membranes were fairing. Checking the roof`s drainage systems to see if all is in good working order before the days get much colder was a good idea too.
It was a cool sunny day before Thanksgiving when I went up on the Church roof. All of the roof`s protective modified bitumen membranes seemed to be in good condition. This is blessing considering that the roof was installed back in 1999. There was no visible damage to the slate tile roof to be seen either. Another blessing.
The eavestroughs of the large low slope roof however needed a bit of attention. I needed to clear away a few clusters of small branches and tree leaves that had accumulated in the eavestroughs since the last cleaning. Clearing away these potential blockages is essential to ensure that any water on the roof would flow freely to the downspouts and drain away. While clearing the eavestroughs I could see that the heat trace system looked like it was still in good condition. No visible cracks in the heat trace cables were seen, so, the de-icing system looked like it would be good for another winter season.
This fall, as usual, the roof drains of the Outer Narthex`s flat roof needed some clearing of moss and debris to ensure that there would be no pooling of water on the flat portions of this roof system. Keeping flat roofs as dry as possible is important.
Stay safe. Stay well. Stay connected. And, until next time, this is Michael Pollard for this old Church of ours.
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