RoofLog

RoofLog Help

Everything in RoofLog revolves around one idea: every rooftop unit, on a live satellite map, with its full history attached.

Getting started

Sign in at app.therooflog.com with your email and password, or with Google, Microsoft, or Apple. New accounts are created by invitation — ask your workspace admin — or by signing up and creating your own workspace.

Workspaces are companies. Everything you see — buildings, units, photos, reports — belongs to the workspace shown in the switcher at the top right. If you belong to several workspaces (common for contractors), switch there. RoofLog remembers your last-used workspace on your account, so new browsers and devices open where you left off.

Training: the Training tab walks through every part of RoofLog, module by module. Each module has a short video and a written walkthrough — pick whichever suits you (RoofLog remembers your preference) and mark modules complete as you go. Progress is per person.

Buildings and the roof map

  • Buildings lists every property in the workspace. Click one to open its roof.
  • The roof view is a satellite image with a numbered pin for every unit, color-coded by condition:
    • 🔴 Red — needs attention
    • 🟡 Yellow — monitor
    • 🟢 Green — good
    • ⚪ Gray — not yet assessed
  • Click a pin to zoom in and open the unit's panel. RoofLog tracks far more than AC units. The Kind picker is organized by system family: HVAC (packaged RTUs and heat pumps, air handlers, make-up air, DOAS, ERV/HRV, split condensing units, VRF, chillers, cooling towers, evaporative condensers, dry coolers, PTACs, condensate pumps), fans & ventilation (downblast and kitchen grease exhaust, supply fans, gravity ventilators, intake hoods, ductwork), drainage & plumbing (primary and overflow drains, scuppers, gutters, downspouts, conductor heads, crickets, condensate drain lines, plumbing vents, gas risers), plus access & safety, skylights, and power & communications. Structural pins render slightly smaller than equipment pins, and every pin is colored by its condition (gray until assessed).
  • Every asset has a Location — roof, ground level (a split condenser on a slab), wall-mounted, or interior — so grade and wall equipment can be inventoried honestly. The attachment-fixture list includes concrete pad (grade) and wall bracket for those cases.
  • Fields adapt to the kind: nameplate details appear for equipment, capacity in tons for cooling equipment, and drain-line maintenance dates for everything with a condensate coil (AC/heat-pump RTUs, air handlers, make-up air, DOAS, ERV/HRV, PTACs) — not just AC units.
  • Satellite / Diagram toggle (top right of the map): the same roof as either the live satellite view or a flat schematic plan. If the roof has an uploaded layout sheet (Roof details → Layout diagram — PDF or image; PDFs convert automatically), the Diagram view shows that sheet as the background with a clickable, condition-colored marker per unit. Admins and full-access members press Position units to drag markers (or pick an unplaced unit, then click its spot) — positions are per sheet, saved once, and remembered. Without an uploaded sheet, the Diagram view falls back to a plan generated from your data (outline, suite strips, numbered boxes, drains, crickets, north arrow). Click any marker or symbol in either view to open that asset's record. Editing (adding units, drawing bays) happens on the satellite view.
  • Roof details (button in the header) opens the roof's own record — material, install year, warranty, notes — plus photos, typed notes, and voice notes exactly like a unit's, and a roof-level service history for work on the roof itself (re-coating, membrane repairs, inspections) that isn't tied to any one unit. Use Edit (top right of the panel) to fill in the fields; the material list covers the common commercial systems (TPO, EPDM, PVC, modified bitumen, built-up, metal, spray foam), and choosing Other lets you describe the material in your own words.
  • Buildings can have more than one roof section (a main roof and an annex, wings, etc.). The map always shows every section's units and bays together; the dropdown next to Roof details picks which section the panel, new units, and new bays apply to. Admins and full-access members add sections with ＋ Add roof… in that dropdown. Each roof section is billed as its own roof asset.

Adding a building (admins and full-access members): Buildings → Add building → type the address and pick it from the dropdown → name it. The satellite view opens centered on the roof.

Tenant bays (admins and full-access members): the Tenant bays button turns the map into a bay editor. Press ＋ Add bay, give it its suite address, and a rectangle appears on the map. A selected bay moves by dragging anywhere on it — corner handles only appear after you press Resize in the toolbar, so a move can never accidentally stretch the shape. ↩ Undo reverts the last move or resize, step by step. Resizing keeps the shape a true rectangle: dragging a corner grows or shrinks it toward the opposite corner, and dragging an edge dot pushes that whole side in or out — the rectangle never shears into an angled shape. Adding the next bay clones the previous one's shape shifted one width over, so outlining a row of identical storefronts is mostly just naming them. Click any bay to select it, or rename/delete it from the toolbar. Bay outlines are informational — they never move or change units.

Units

The unit panel shows the complete record: make, model, serial number, capacity, install year, bay/suite served, condition, warranty and maintenance dates — plus photos, notes, and service history. AC units also record their roof attachment fixture — how the unit is attached to the roof (package unit on curb, curb adapter, side mount, split system on stand, mini split, and so on). This matters at replacement time: it determines whether the old unit lifts off an existing curb or the roof has to be cut.

Editing: click Edit in the panel. Depending on your access level the button reads Save (changes apply immediately) or Submit for approval (changes go to the workspace's review queue — see Access levels).

Edit roof mode (admins and full-access members): the Edit roof button turns the map into an editor —

  • Click open roof to add a unit (you'll be asked to confirm).
  • Drag pins to reposition them; positions save automatically.
  • Decommissioned vs. deleted — they mean different things. Decommission (in the unit's edit form) retires a unit from the map but keeps its record and full history — decommissioned assets remain in reports and are still billable. Delete permanently removes the record and destroys its service history, photos, and notes — use it only for units added by mistake, and expect billing to stop from the next measurement.

Photos

Add photos from the unit panel — on a phone this opens the camera directly. Photos are compressed automatically and, where the source includes it, tagged with GPS position and capture time. Click any thumbnail to view full-screen.

Read nameplate: open a photo of the unit's data plate full-screen and click Read nameplate — RoofLog reads the sticker and proposes the manufacturer, model, serial number, and capacity into the approval queue (the Changes tab), where an admin or member confirms before anything touches the record. Clear, straight-on photos read best.

Notes and voice notes

Every unit has a Notes ledger — each entry stamped with who wrote it and when.

  • Typed notes: write in the Add a note box.
  • Voice notes: press the record button (hold-to-record in the mobile app; click-to-start/stop on the web), speak, and release. The recording uploads, is transcribed automatically, and the transcript appears in the Notes ledger marked with a 🎙 badge. The original audio stays playable under Voice notes.

Service history

Log inspections, maintenance, repairs, installs, and replacements per unit, with date, description, and who performed the work. An event can also update the unit's condition — the pin recolors immediately. Service history drives the recency columns in Reports and is the record your reports and audits stand on. Every asset type has a service history, and the roof itself has its own (see Roof details).

Drain line maintenance: anything with a cooling coil produces condensate — AC and heat-pump RTUs, air handlers, make-up air units, DOAS, ERV/HRVs, PTACs — and its drain line needs clearing on its own schedule. Set Next drain maintenance and a drain interval on the unit record (the fields appear automatically on condensate-producing kinds); when you log a Drain line maintenance event, the next due date advances by the interval automatically, and the alerts digest includes drain maintenance that falls due — so it keeps happening on schedule without anyone re-entering dates.

Reports

The Reports tab builds ledger-style reports for the workspace or a single building:

  • Asset Register — every active unit with its full record and service recency. The successor to the old spreadsheet.
  • Inspection & Maintenance Status — sorted most-overdue first, with days-since and days-until columns and OVERDUE flags.
  • Condition Summary — red/yellow/green counts and average equipment age per building.
  • Warranty Schedule — upcoming expirations in date order.

Every report prints cleanly (Print → save as PDF for hand-outs) and exports as CSV for Excel.

Need everything? Admins can download a complete export of the workspace from Settings → Workspace → Export workspace data — every asset field, service record, note, and transcript as JSON and CSV, plus all photos at original resolution, voice recordings, and uploaded roof diagrams, in one zip — with a README and a photo index (photos.csv) that ties every image to its building, roof, and unit. Your data is yours — exporting is free and always available. Large workspaces can take a few minutes to package; leave the download running. Not an admin, or prefer us to run it? Email support@therooflog.com.

Alerts

RoofLog emails workspace admins and contractors a digest when any unit's next maintenance date, drain line maintenance date, or warranty expiration falls within 30 days. Set those dates on the unit record to opt a unit in. Alerts come from alerts@therooflog.com — add it to your safe senders.

Billing

The Billing tab (admins and billing managers) shows exactly what the workspace is billed for and every invoice to date:

  • Current usage — the live count of billable assets (all retained equipment records, including decommissioned units — the record and its history stay valuable, and stay billed) and roofs, broken down by type.
  • Your plan — the workspace's rate, with the math shown line by line, and whether billing is annual or monthly.
  • Invoices — every invoice with its line items, so there is never a mystery charge. Crossing a plan limit never blocks work; usage is reviewed at renewal.

Billing questions: billing@therooflog.com.

Managing your company and buildings

  • Rename the company or workspace (admins): My-account-bar → Settings → edit the names → Save.
  • Rename a building: Buildings list → Rename next to the building (admins and full-access members).
  • Delete a building (admins): Buildings list → Delete — you'll type the building's name to confirm, because it permanently removes the roof, units, photos, and history.
  • Delete the whole workspace (admins): Settings → Danger zone → type the workspace name to confirm. Everything in it is removed for every member; there is no undo.

People, roles, and access levels

Workspace members have a role:

  • Admin — everything, including members, buildings, and approvals.
  • Member — company staff.
  • Contractor — an outside party (inspector, HVAC vendor). Contractors sign up once and can be granted into many client workspaces — they switch between clients with one login.
  • Billing manager — sees the Billing page and invoices, and can view (but never change) the rest of the workspace. For bookkeepers and office managers who handle invoices without administering the data.

Members and contractors also carry an access level:

| Level | What it means | |---|---| | Full access | Edits apply immediately | | Standard | Photos, notes, and service events apply immediately; edits to the unit record itself go to the approval queue | | Read-only | Sees everything; any proposed edit goes to the approval queue |

Approvals: the Changes tab (admins and members) lists pending submissions with a field-by-field diff — Approve applies the change to the unit; Reject discards it with an optional note.

Inviting someone: Members → enter their email, role, and access level. They receive an email invitation (valid 14 days). If they already use RoofLog, accepting simply adds your workspace to their account.

The mobile app

The RoofLog app — on iPhone and Android — is built for the roof:

  • Browse workspaces → buildings → units (grid or satellite map view — use the toggle). Map pins are numbered and colored by condition; tap a pin to open that unit. Tenant bay outlines drawn on the web appear on the map with their suite labels.
  • Tap a roof chip above the unit grid to open that roof section — its material, install year, and warranty, plus the roof's own photos, notes, and voice notes, captured right from the phone just like a unit's. Buildings with several roof sections show a chip for each.
  • The unit screen shows the asset's kind, its roof attachment fixture, nameplate details for equipment, and upcoming maintenance — including the next drain maintenance date for AC units.
  • Take photos that upload with GPS attached.
  • Hold-to-record voice notes — a "Transcribing…" indicator shows while the transcript is written into the Notes ledger, usually within seconds. Voice notes and their transcripts both show who recorded them.
  • Add buildings by address from the field.
  • On iPad the app rotates to landscape and uses the larger screen: the units screen shows the grid and satellite map side by side, and the unit screen puts capture and details next to photos and notes.

Sign in with the same account as the web — email + password, Continue with Google / Microsoft (opens the system browser, then returns to the app), or on iPhone and iPad, Continue with Apple (the native Apple sheet). During testing the app is distributed by invitation — through Apple's TestFlight on iPhone (install the free TestFlight app, then accept the emailed invitation) and through a Google Play opt-in link on Android. The app version and build number are shown at the bottom of this Help screen in the app.

Account

  • First sign-in — you'll be asked to review and accept the Terms of Service (web and mobile) before entering the app. If the terms change later, you'll be asked once more.
  • Forgot password? — use the link on the sign-in page. Reset emails come from alerts@therooflog.com; check your junk folder the first time, and note the link is single-use and expires after an hour.
  • My account (top right in the app) — change your password or email address, update your profile name and contractor details, review your workspace memberships, and sign out.
  • Two-factor authentication (recommended) — My account → Two-factor authentication → scan the QR code with any authenticator app (Google Authenticator, 1Password, Authy…) and confirm one code. From then on, every sign-in — password or Google/Microsoft — asks for a current code after the first step. Turn it off from the same place (a code is required to do so). Lost the device? Email support@therooflog.com from your account email; we verify you and reset it. The code prompt appears on the web and in the mobile apps — every sign-in path is covered.
  • Workspaces can require two-factor authentication. An admin turns this on in Settings → Workspace → Security. Members without an authenticator app are walked through the one-minute setup before reaching that workspace's data. If you belong to several workspaces, the requirement applies per workspace — you can always continue in a workspace that doesn't require it.
  • Mobile app license — the iOS and Android apps are licensed under the Mobile Application License, linked from the app's Help screen and the website footer.
  • Removing someone from your company — an admin can remove a member or contractor from Settings → Members. Access is revoked immediately, and everything they recorded stays exactly where it is.
  • Changing someone's role — admins can switch a person between Admin, Member, and Contractor from Settings → Members.
  • A workspace always keeps at least one admin. If someone is the only admin, you cannot remove them or change their role until you have promoted another person to admin. This is deliberate: without an admin, nobody can manage members, buildings, or approvals, and it takes support to undo. Make the new admin first, then remove the old one.
  • Closing an account entirely — email us and we'll delete the login. Access is revoked and personal contact details are removed, but the building, unit, photo, note, and service records stay in your workspace and still show who recorded them. Deleting a person never deletes your equipment history. If the name needs removing too, say so and we'll anonymize the attribution as well.

The support assistant

Support in the top navigation bar opens the support assistant — ask it anything about using RoofLog and it answers from this documentation, in plain steps. The panel opens at the top right, out of the way of the map and unit details.

  • Your data stays private by default. The assistant answers from documentation only, unless two permissions are both given: a workspace admin turns on Support assistant data access in Settings → Workspace, and you tick Allow account data in the chat for that conversation. Only then can it look up your own workspace's information (building list, pending changes, transcription status — read-only, your workspace only) to troubleshoot.
  • The assistant can never change anything, and can never see another company's workspace.
  • Conversations are not stored on our servers — closing the browser tab clears them.
  • There's a fair-use limit on messages per hour; if you hit it, wait a bit or email support@therooflog.com.

Troubleshooting

  • A photo or voice note doesn't appear — pull to refresh (mobile) or reopen the unit. Uploads need a signal; retry from a better spot on the roof.
  • The map is gray or watermarked — reload once; if it persists, tell your admin.
  • A certificate warning on an office network — some corporate firewalls inspect secure traffic and replace the site's certificate; RoofLog itself is fine. Ask IT to exempt therooflog.com from SSL inspection, or verify from another network.
  • A transcript hasn't appeared — transcription usually lands within seconds; a background sweep catches any stragglers within 15 minutes.
  • An invitation email never arrived — check junk/quarantine; admins can also copy the invitation link from the Members page notice and share it directly.
  • You can't edit something you think you should — your access level may be Standard or Read-only; your edits become approval requests instead. Ask a workspace admin.

Questions this page doesn't answer: email support@therooflog.com.