1. Article Body
Restaurant roof maintenance is mostly about managing three things: grease, water from refrigeration, and the people who walk on it.
Grease containment on a real interval
Service the containment system on a schedule set by cooking volume, not by the calendar.
A high volume fryer operation saturates a containment pad far faster than a cafe. Check it monthly at first, establish the real rate, then set the interval from that.
A saturated pad is worse than none, because it holds grease against the roof.
Clean the grease affected area
The membrane downwind of the fan needs periodic cleaning with a product the membrane manufacturer approves.
Approved matters. The wrong cleaner does its own damage, and a hood cleaning crew using kitchen degreaser on a membrane is a common and avoidable problem.
Condensate discipline
Check every condensate line quarterly. They should discharge to a drain or an approved termination, never onto the membrane.
Look for the tell: a permanently damp area or a discolored stain below a line. Redirecting a condensate line is a very small job that prevents a very large one.
Drains and scuppers, monthly
Restaurant roofs block faster than other commercial roofs because grease binds debris together.
Monthly is realistic. Quarterly is a minimum. After any storm is mandatory.
Control roof access
Maintain a list of who may access the roof: refrigeration, HVAC, hood cleaning, fire suppression.
Require notification before access and inspection afterwards. Give the hood cleaning contractor written instruction about walkway routes and approved cleaning products.
Fit walkway pads from the hatch to every piece of equipment and around the hood fan. On a restaurant this is the single highest value maintenance spend.
Twice a year full inspection
Cover the whole roof, with particular attention to the grease affected zone, every curb and flashing, ponding areas, all condensate terminations, and the condition of walkway pads.
Photograph the grease zone each time from the same position. The rate of spread is the most useful single piece of data you will collect.
Keep the record
Dated photographs, a written report, and a log of who accessed the roof.
The access log matters more here than on most buildings, because when damage appears near the hood the question of who caused it is worth answering.
When it changes hands
A change of operator or menu changes the exhaust load. Reassess the containment interval and the membrane condition when the kitchen changes, not at the next scheduled inspection.
