“The biggest preventive maintenance requirements relate to components that wear out quickly, such as sealants,” explains Ted Sheridan, President of Fishburn Sheridan & Associates Ltd. and Region VII Director for RCI, an international association of building envelope consultants. “They prevent moisture from infiltrating from the outside and slow down related deterioration. That’s a good first step.”

Even more: 4 Biggest Building Maintenance Challenges and Solutions

Look closely at the areas where window frames meet the building to see if the caulking is splitting or cracking. These adhesive failures can lead to insidious leaks that may not be noticeable from the inside, Smith recommends. If your building has wooden window trim, look for signs that the trim is rotting – that usually indicates more wood in the wall behind it has deteriorated, Smith adds.

Some signs indicate more than a need for maintenance. If one of these red flags appears, take immediate action to ensure safety isn’t compromised.

Falling debris

“When you start seeing slates slide off a roof because a 100-year-old copper or iron fastener has weakened, that’s an obvious hazard,” Smith says. “We’ve seen this in schools – talk about a scary scenario. Look for any metal or brick on the ground and concentrations of rust. If anything doesn’t look right, do some further investigation.”

Significant misalignment

Out-of-place bricks or masonry in an otherwise perfectly straight wall may indicate a structural issue, which is a life safety problem, Sheridan says.

Staining

You may see red or brown splotches from rust (which could result from corrosion) or efflorescence, a chalky substance found on masonry and brick that could mean discontinuities in the air barrier or interior vapor retarder.

The location and type of staining can help you narrow down specific concerns, explains Daniel J. Lemieux, Principal and Unit Manager for Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates. Staining or detectable moisture at interior drywall soffits, blind pockets, lay-in ceiling tiles, and above windows and doors can indicate defective through-wall flashing in clay brick and concrete masonry cavity walls. The same problem in the wall assemblies of architectural precast concrete or a similar barrier-type wall can be a symptom of winter condensation forming on the inboard surfaces of the precast in cold climates or breaches in the perimeter joint sealant and gaskets, Lemieux says.

Watch for characteristic “run-down” staining or other detectable moisture on interior window and door frames, vertical mullions, and inboard glass surfaces, Lemieux adds.

“This is a potential indicator of defects in the installation of interior zone dams, end dams, and seals at frame joinery in exterior window and glazed aluminum curtainwall assemblies that may require de-glazing to properly repair,” Lemieux explains. “If de-glazing and internal repair isn’t an option, it may even necessitate the conversion of internally drained windows and curtainwall assemblies into barrier-type assemblies that will rely on the application and maintenance of exterior joint sealant to resist water penetration.”

Visual wear on dock enclosures

The inside face of a dock enclosure gradually becomes compressed into the door opening and both sides can develop tears, rips, and rub marks. When these signs start to appear, “odds are good that the enclosure won’t last much longer,” Swietlik says.

First Aid for Failing Walls

While it’s important to obtain a permanent repair before your small problem turns into a major failure, you may need a temporary fix to stop water from getting into your building in the interim. However, complex repairs can result in more damage if they’re not implemented correctly.

“If you try to tape or glue something down or patch a hole and you don’t know what you’re doing, there’s a high likelihood that you’ll use something incompatible that either causes additional damage or doesn’t work,” says Smith. “For example, EPDM is very vulnerable to solvents and petroleum-based products, so if you use a solvent to clean it, you’re actually doing more damage that way.”

If you think your masonry is becoming dislodged, Sheridan recommends looking into brick ties that can hold loose bricks in place until a better solution is found. They won’t solve a structural problem if one exists but will keep bricks from becoming fully dislodged and injuring someone in the meantime. Mesh or netting installed on the outside of spalling or loosening brick is also an option.