Mini Split Units on Commercial Roofs: Two Things to Check Before They Cost You a Roof

The owner of a commercial property on Trinity Mills Road in Carrollton, Texas asked Pepper Coatings LLC to inspect their roofing system and provide a proposal for a new silicone roof coating this week. After reviewing the site photos, I felt this mini split install was worth sharing with commercial property owners and managers.

Commercial Roofing Contractor Tips

1. Hire a professional roofer to dry in the roof penetration when you hire a mechanical contractor to cut a hole in your roof. Nine out of ten mechanical contractors that install mini split units haven’t a clue how to properly dry in a roof penetration. You too could end up with some green tape holding out the water.
2. Make sure they run a PVC condensation drain line from the mini split unit, completely off the roofing system. Notice the continuous stream of water running down the roof in the photo.

This metal roofing system is coated with an acrylic roof coating. Acrylic roof coatings are water based — they will begin to break down within a month or two when a mechanical unit is constantly dripping water on them.

We see mini split units on commercial roofs much more frequently these days, and they are a great way to add some much needed AC in this summer heat. If you are managing a commercial property and have tenants installing mechanical units on your roofing system, you should have your commercial roofer inspect their work post install. Pepper Coatings would be happy to help dry in your next mini split.