Not sure if this is the right palce to post this.

I clean a movie theater and the roof leaks like a sieve (ceiling tile replacement budget seems bottomless). To get the water off of the spots that leak, we use sump pumps. does this make sense? Is there a better way?

Thank you much in advance for any input.

 

The only thing that would make sense would be for the roof to be properly repaired.
Flat roof repairs are not cheap but there is more damage going on than just with the ceiling tiles.
The deck and insulation will be soaked with wood rotting and steel rusting not to mention the loss of any insulating qualities there may have been.

 

I heard that when the building was built, the original roofer went bankrupt in the middle of the job. The water actually has to go uphill to go down the drains. Also, there are light bulbs rusted into the light sockets, rust on the light bulbs themselves, weird stains on the carpet that commercial cleaning doesn't touch, and about 12 light sockets at last count that need to be replaced. This is one of the issues I mentioned at the post "Going to the movies" in general chats and discussions. One military quote seems to fit here : "The village had to be destroyed in order to save it". I thought of an adapted version "The building had to be destroyed in order to save it". The ceiling tiles get changed a lot to make corporate happy and to make it look normal. Think Extreme Makeover would be interested? LOL

 

a better way than a sump pump would be to use an automatic siphon.

source: wikipedia

that would at least be more energy efficient than a sump pump.

Check that your drains aren't clogged. Pay special attention to any flashing around the roof, as this is often where leaks will occur.

If this is the old tar-and-gravel style roof, then i would wait for a week or two of good heat without rain, and mix up enough of it to fill the low points where water is pooling. Special precautions should be taken however, since you would be adding a lot more weight to a place that probably has rotten boards beneath it already, the risk of a collapse is very real.

Finally, in a perfect world, i would tear off the old roof, re-sheathe it on a proper slope to run water towards the drain, and apply a elastomeric resin system. It's similar to the fibreglass used in a boat, but more flexible to allow for expansion/contraction.
And after that beautiful new roof was put on, i would plan for a giant garden up there.

I can dream, can't I?

 

The roof surface is rubber, the drains are clear, however, some twinkie made a bump under the rubber, so the water has to go over it to go down the drain. They have been thinking about tearing down half the building, doing it new and then vice versa for the past year.

 

Why not just have a crew come in and remove the bump? These guys have some type of welder that welds in the replacement piece.

 

The roof is far ftom the only problem with this building.