At times, roofs develop problems through time such as leakages and cracks. Sometimes, these damages are due to missing shingles or shakes, unattended care, or due to natural causes. Nobody wants to feel the hassle and discomfort of having water run across their ceiling, crawling or dripping down to their floor, or have water stains as an unwanted feature of your house’s interior, then the feeling of wanting to fix that leaking roof as soon as possible might be very familiar to you. Even in a short period, small roof leaks can pave a path to more significant and more aggravating problems like molds, rotted sheathing and framing, risky insulation and ruined ceilings.
To avoid spending too much money caused by unattended leaks or even experience the discomfort of having dripping water or cleaning the stain from your ceiling, here are some tips that can help you in fixing the problem before it becomes into a bigger inconvenience.
Finding Roof Leaks
Typically, the very first thing to do before performing a repair on your leaking roof is to know where the leak is coming from. Usually, leaks occur in areas that are penetrated since it is unlikely for a leak to develop in areas that are well covered and closed. You can search for penetrations that already exist in your home’s features such as roof vents, plumbing, dormers, chimney or anything that can possibly have literally had already created a hole on your roof. Start your way from these areas, and trace them through by observing things such as stains, molds or marks.
When inspecting the leak, you should also take note of essential home elements such as wirings or power lines that can potentially be harmful to your well being if overlooked. Aside from that, if you choose to repair the leak by yourself, you should also be equipped with proper equipment such as rubber boots, safety ropes and reinforced bolts for anchoring, and safe ladders.
Repairing a Hole
If the leak is caused by a hole, be it small or not, you usually can make use of a 12”x12” galvanized sheet, and utilize it in a way that you cover the hole with it. It might be essential for you to use one or more umbrella nails to make sure that the sheet will stay in place to prevent any water from creeping inside and causing another leak. Other alternative materials can also be used as a substitute to cover the leak.
Repairing a Flat Roof
Flat roofs, if compared to other types of roofs, commonly have different coverings which makes the process of repairing it a little bit more tricky and complicated. To do this, you will most likely have to make use of patching and covering methods whenever you see that the leak is caused by a hole. There are a lot of materials and items in the market that are suitable and can very much help you in making sure that the leak is well covered and repaired.
Replacing Shingles and Shakes
To make sure that your house is free from any leak, it would be advisable that you perform or schedule an inspection to see if there are any roof problems that need to be attended. If in your inspection you see that there are noticeable shingles that need to be repaired or replaced, the need for you to call a professional wouldn’t come necessarily since the steps are very much easy for you to do.
Before you start repairing by yourself, you should still put safety first. Make sure that the ladder that you are using is stable, or at least have someone to assist you. The first thing that you have to do is to identify or locate shingles that you can use to replace the ones that need some replacing. You can then proceed by removing the damaged pieces that need to be removed so as to avoid any further damages. After that, install the new underlayments before you finally add the new shakes or shingles.
Professional Repair
If you’re not confident with the thought of repairing the leak on your own, then you need not worry. Since doing the job by yourself can be difficult, risky and dangerous, it might be best if you contact your local roof service provider, and have them provide their professional and expert solution and care to your roof problem. This way, you will be assured that the job is done safely, effectively and efficiently. Aside from that, it can save you time, as well as the hassle and frustration of not having the job done well especially when you’re not that adept when it comes to hardware.