Blog

September should be about Fall Maintenance for your commercial flat roof. This is a service we do once a year to get ready for the winter rains. Our property managers have reported back to us that Fall roof maintenance greatly reduces winter roof leaks and extends the service life of the existing roof system. At Just Leaks, we have never had a management firm stop maintenance once they start.

What does roof maintenance look like? Here is what Just Leaks recommends for Autumn Roof Maintenance:

1. First, the drains and all areas of accumulated debris are swept clean.  Cleaning the roof in the Fall accomplishes three goals; exposing the roof membrane for inspection, removing debris, which can clog drains; minimizing the formation of mud, which stresses the underlying roof membrane and promotes weed growth.
2. After the roof is clean, it is then inspected and all minor defects are repaired.  This is done by first walking the perimeter of the roof, paying special attention to the drains and perimeter wall flashings.  The entire field of the roof is then inspected by systematically walking the length of each width of capsheet.
3. During this walk, the roof mechanic pulls a small cart with all the materials and tools necessary to repair the various defects (such as popped nails, fish mouths, small broken ridges, and blisters, mechanical damage, etc.) that are encountered.  The roof mechanic repairs each defect as it is found using the materials and technique appropriate for that repair.  Any foreign objects such as screws, nails, and stones are cleaned up at this time.

Here are photos of a roof maintenance project we recently completed:

Photo set #1:

Photo set #2:

Photo set #3:

Photo set #4:

Photo set #5:

Even during a long drought, the commercial and industrial roofs in California require Autumn roof maintenance to prepare for the rainy season, regardless of the amount of rainfall. You can save yourself and your commercial tenants from leak damage if you take action in the Fall to do roof maintenance.

If you would like to be proactive and make sure your roof doesn’t leak anytime soon, contact the Just Leaks team for a consultation. We will be happy to provide you an estimate for Fall Roof Maintenance. Give us a call today at 408-249-4646.

When you manage or own a commercial or industrial building, the roofing materials you select can make a big impact on your energy costs, maintenance costs, and more. Just Leaks has been specializing in building, maintaining, and repairing commercial roofs since the 1990s. We have learned a thing or two about roofing materials and which one may be right for your industrial roof. Here are some of the new roofing systems Just Leaks builds for our clients in the San Francisco Bay Area.

AcryPly Polyester Membrane Systems — The AcryPly Systems use Titex polyester roll fabric over the entire roof membrane. The fabric from the polyester roll holds the roof membrane together and gives the roof the flexibility it needs during extreme weather changes. Polyester rolls have the ability to support and help restore roofing membranes, extending the roofs life-span for many additional years.

Spray Polyurethane Foam Systems — Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) roofing provides excellent insulation and custom slope to avoid ponded water issues and improve water flow to drainage. SPF roofing systems require a roof coating to be applied over the foam in order to cover and protect the spray polyurethane foam from deteriorating due to the sun’s harmful UV rays. Topcoats are highly reflective, providing longevity and brightness with superior dirt pick up resistance and protection against biological attach such as algae.

Built-up Capsheet Systems — The fire-rated cap sheet roofing system is designed for use as a cap sheet over inorganic and organic built-up roofing systems. It may also be used as a heavy-duty venting type base sheet when installed mineral side down and either mechanically fastened or spot mopped over lightweight insulating concrete decks or existing smooth surfaced membranes.

Metal Panel Roof Systems — We offer a selection of metal roofing panels, both single skin and insulated, that can be utilized in several different industries, including standing seam, concealed fastener and exposed fastener panels.  

Sloped Roof Systems — Sloped roof systems include shingles that have ENERGY STAR® qualified solar reflectance and thermal emissivity requirements. They reflect solar energy and radiates heat far better than traditional roofing shingles, which mean they can reduce the roof’s temperature by as much as 20 percent in the summer.

As you can see, there are many roofing materials that could benefit your flat-roofed commercial building. To determine which roofing materials work best for your needs, budget, and location, contact the Just Leaks team for a consultation. Give us a call at 408-249-4646. We’ll be happy to help.

We know this is another HVAC installation – but it is the type of project the Just Leaks roofing team does very well. For those following our recent projects, Just Leaks hopes to get more HVAC installations and roofing projects from property managers and owners of commercial buildings throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

This HVAC installation was challenging, in that we had to install new 20 foot beams in place and re-frame the roof to structurally support a new HVAC unit. Fortunately, we were able to do all the work from the rooftop and not disrupt the occupants. Our client was delighted we were able to reframe the roof deck and install the new capsheet roof and flashings in just 3 days.

The Just Leaks Team located the new HVAC position on the roof surface, and removed the existing capsheet area to access the underlying plywood and wood frame deck.

The Just Leaks roofing team removed the plywood and insulation, installed new 20 foot beams, installed new curb framing, and reinstalled the insulation.

Next, the Just Leaks team installed the new plywood roof deck, frame 4x curb leveler and installed the metal factory HVAC curb. Next, we installed the new capsheet roof over the new plywood deck.

To wrap up the HVAC installation, Just Leaks tied new roofing into the existing capsheet roof, applied acrylic coating, and set the HVAC back into position.

If you have a roofing question or HVAC project for Just Leaks, we will be glad to help. Contact us for an estimate or consultation by calling 408-249-4646.

Sometimes the Just Leaks team will get a call from a homeowner who is interested in our help with a residential roof. Unfortunately, we have to refer the caller elsewhere because Just Leaks only services and repairs flat, commercial roofs. For those who are unfamiliar with the differences between commercial and residential roofs, here is a quick overview.

If you are the owner or property manager of a commercial building, you can rest easy knowing that Just Leaks can do a complete and reliable roof inspection or repair. To learn more about our commercial roof leak repair, commercial roof maintenance, or industrial roof waterproofing services, give us a call at 408-249-4646. We’ll be happy to help.

If you are an experienced roofer, here is what the Just Leaks team is seeking:

3 to 5 years of flat roofing and some carpentry are needed for an industrial flat roofing co. You must perform a wide range of tasks. You must have the following:

• A clean DMV record
• Pass a background check and a drug test
• Have good communication skills
• Be self-motivated and a team player

We will provide your tools, truck, lunch, a friendly work environment and some benefits. Pay is based on ability.

We are an industrial flat roof maintenance and repair company. We mostly do service type work. In the Winter and Spring, we do leak calls. In the Fall, we do maintenance. During Summer, we do whole roofs using cold process built-up, coatings, SPF foam and SA systems. We also have a General Contractor’s license so we can take on anything we want. Our work is very diverse.  We do a bit of carpentry, rot repair, new framing, and structural upgrades.

We are a medium size outfit in San Jose whose workers try hard to work together as a team. We are looking for someone who can hit the ground running. We also want a person who cares about the work he is doing, the company he is working for, and the people he is working with, knowing his care and attention will be reciprocated. We tend to work year round with little down time. You would need to be willing to do whatever is needed at the time, (and there is quite a list). You will not get bored.

If you believe you are a great fit for this position, submit your cover letter and resume to Craig Siemer at craig@justleaks.com.

Many owners and tenants of commercial buildings are interested in finding ways to lower their energy bills. Here are five easy ways to reduce the energy consumption in your industrial building.

1. Install automatic shut-off light switches. Even if you are using low-voltage lighting, it’s smart to install automatic shut-off light switches that power down a room when it’s not occupied. Encourage all building tenants to turn off the lights before they leave work.
2. Use Energy Star appliances and other energy-saving equipment. Not only do you save by lowering your energy costs with Energy Star appliances, but some equipment can earn you rebates, too. Check into all the energy-saving equipment available on the market for your commercial building and tenants’ industry requirements. The equipment you choose could make a big difference in your power bills.
3. Install water-saving devices. Lower your building’s water consumption by utilizing water saving devices on all sink fixtures. Replace older toilets with newer low-flow tanks. Encourage all building tenants to reduce water usage when possible.
4. Reduce air conditioning usage at night. If your commercial building is not required to keep electrical equipment and perishable goods at a lower temperature, consider turning off the A/C at night. The morning air should be cool enough to keep the inside comfortable when the air conditioning is turned on for the day.
5. Install or maintain a cool roof coating. Just Leaks helps many commercial property owners and tenants save big time on energy costs by installing cool roofs. Coated with AcryPly Polyester Membrane Systems or Spray Polyurethane Foam Systems, flat industrial roofs stay significantly cooler. Not only will a cool roof lower your energy bills, but it also benefits the environment.

For more information about cool roofs and how they can help lower the energy costs on your commercial properties, contact Just Leaks for a consultation. Our phone number is 408-249-4646, and we will be happy to assist you.

A recent project was a new HVAC curb and framing on a flat, commercial roof in the Silicon Valley region. Here are a few photos showing the progress of the project.

These photos show the new HVAC curb and framing. The new underlying frame supports the new HVAC and curb from under the roof.

The next photos show the top of the roof where the HVAC unit will go. We cut away the roof, framed in a level curb base, installed metal factory curb, insulate, and cant the curb.

After the foundation of the HVAC unit was built, we primed the roof curb and tie in area, installed base ply and capsheet roof membrane.

To finish off the new HVAC curb and framing installation, we reinforced the edges and seams so they would tie into existing roof membrane. This reinforces the bond at the transitions for a more durable seal.

If you are a property owner or business owner that needs to replace a rooftop HVAC unit, you can rest easy knowing that Just Leaks will do a complete and reliable job. To learn more about our roof HVAC installation, roof maintenance, or roof waterproofing services, give us a call at 408-249-4646. We’ll be happy to help.

When a gutter gets clogged, it can cause problems throughout the entire system. The following photos show a recent project, where the Just Leaks team made a difficult integrated gutter repair on a commercial building in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Our team was called because built up debris and defects in the integral gutter system caused leaks in the overhang soffits.

As you can see from the photos below, the built up debris and constant flow of water from condensation deteriorated the metal gutter. The deterioration of the gutter would eventually cause leakage.

The Just Leaks crew began the gutter system repair by removing all debris first. Then, we cleaned and prepped the defective gutter areas. You can see quite a difference in the before and after photos below.

Next, we located the open breaks in the gutter and repaired them.

The repair required us to apply RustEnder anti-oxidizing agent to the metal gutter. Then, we sealed the gutter with urethane and polyester membrane to reduce corrosion.

On this project, our team was happy to repair this integrated gutter system and our client was equally pleased to see no more leaky gutters.

To prevent your commercial building from developing a leak, contact Just Leaks for a complete roof system inspection. To learn more about our roof HVAC installation, roof maintenance, or roof waterproofing services, give us a call at 408-249-4646. We look forward to serving you.

Sometimes we get nutty roof repair requests…but not in the way you might think.

In this roof repair case, squirrels wreaked havoc on a roof flashing when they decided to use this college dormitory roof as their food storage pantry. Here are a few photos of how Just Leaks saved the day for the students attending The University of California, Santa Cruz campus.

As you can see, the pipe jack flashing was dislocated by the squirrels, and they stored their nuts underneath. We have to admit, these squirrels were pretty smart! However, we needed to immediately repair and protect the college dorm roof from further damage.

After the Just Leaks team removed the acorns, we then removed the roof jack flashing, replaced the deteriorated underlayment, re-installed the jack flashing, and sealed it all up.

No squirrels were harmed during the process, but they were a little perturbed that we removed their convenient roof-top nut stash. UC Santa Cruz students and staff members, however, were thrilled that we repaired this dormitory roof. There was concern about potential leaks and other roof damage during the El Nino winter storms if this damage was ignored.

UPDATE:  The squirrels are fine living in a neighboring tree, and they appear to be healthy and happy. We could have sworn during our last visit, however, that they were barking insults at us. But hey, hat’s off to our resourceful, furry, nut-loving friends. 🙂

If you are concerned when local wildlife causes damage to your commercial roof, you can rest easy knowing that Just Leaks will do a complete and reliable roof repair. To learn more about our flat industrial roof leak repair, dormitory roof maintenance, or commercial roof waterproofing services, give us a call at 408-249-4646. The Just Leaks team will be happy to help.

We are proud of the work we do here at Just Leaks, so to kick off 2016 with a bang, we thought we would share photos that highlight the work we do during the rainy season.

This January, we received a call from a commercial property owner with a flat roof that had developed a leak. This is a photo of the leak we found on an exterior wall in the area of a side-wall scupper drain.

This is one of those repairs we are often called out on after several unsuccessful repair attempts have been made by others, or the owners. The roof often deteriorates at the drains due to stress and the drains need to be re-sealed. Here you see the effects of the deterioration at the mouth of the scupper.

What also often happens, and is often not noticed is that there was not enough of a drip edge to stop water from back-flowing at the outer wall. This backflow can go into the building if the leader head clogs, or if the drip edge is not extended far enough into the leader head. If not repaired properly, the leak will continue, even if the drain is sealed at the roof. In the photo below, you’ll see what a complete and reliable leak repair looks like.

These photos show how we removed the old mastic and sealants, rebuilt the roof around and through the scupper, and extended the drip edge. This is an example of how, by having the experience to know what to look for, and by being thorough in investigating all of our leaks, we have a very high success rate in completely stopping leaks.

We realize this article is a bit technical for people who are not roof enthusiasts like we are, but we wanted to clearly illustrate the steps we take when servicing roof leaks. Our years of experience with flat, industrial roofs help commercial property owners secure their buildings against water leaks that could damage the structure, furnishings, electronic equipment, or products located inside the building.

If you are a property owner or business owner that dislikes losing money on their investments and believes in preventive maintenance, you can rest easy knowing that Just Leaks will do a complete and reliable roof repair. To learn more about our roof leak repair, roof maintenance, or roof waterproofing services, give us a call at 408-249-4646. We’ll be happy to help.