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CAUSES OF ROOF LEAKS DURING HEAVY RAIN

Your roof should be the barrier between you and the outside elements.  If your roof is leaking enough for you to notice, it would suggest that there may be a serious problem with the integrity of your roof.  If you notice that your roof is leaking, it may be tempting to brush it off as a minor issue, especially if it only leaks during very severe storms.

Don’t Assume Small Leaks Aren’t Serious

If you only notice that your roof leaks during extreme storms with substantial rainfall, you may think that it isn’t a problem as your house is mostly dry.  The problem is that when the water gets in, it stays in.  This moisture starts slowly rotting away at your roof and even your walls.  By the time you notice the issue, you may have severe rot in your roof or mold in your drywall.

Water leaks can be deceptive, and you may not even notice that water has filtered into every crevice of your home, from the roof to the floors, and even underneath.  There’s also a danger of water slowly seeping into electrical fixtures, which can cause devastating electrical fires.

If you’ve noticed evidence of damp, such as bubbling paint, moisture collecting on your windows, mold or wet spots, it may be your roof that’s at fault.  By contacting a reputable roofing professional, you can halt the progress of the damage before it becomes irreparable.

Where Do Leaks Come From?

Roof leaks can occur from any part of the roof structure, and they are rarely easy to spot.  They may be due to chimney leaks in heavy rain, or due to something else entirely.  It may be easy to narrow down the location of the hole if you have water stains.

If your signs of water damage aren’t that obvious, then the situation becomes more complicated.  That’s why it’s essential to get a professional to repair a roof leak, as they have the experience to identify sources of leaks and fix them correctly to prevent reoccurrence.

Skylights

People that have skylights in their roofs will be much more likely to experience roof leaks during heavy raining periods than people without skylights.  No matter how skillfully the skylights were installed, roof leakages will still be possible.  While most people shouldn’t have problems during light rains, heavy rains may be different.   Skylights and vents are essentially holes that have been cut into your roof.  Skylights leaks in heavy rains are common, and they provide ideal ways for water to penetrate your home.  Proper roof installation will use a few ways to ensure skylights and vents are installed adequately.  When they are waterproof, they work, but as they age, these solutions may degrade.  By doing routine maintenance on skylights and vents, you can reduce the chance of a roof leak before it becomes a problem.

Damaged Shingles

Shingles form the first barrier between your home and the outside elements.  As such, they are exposed to a few weather conditions, including intense sun, hail, wind, and falling debris.  All of these can damage shingles, which allows water to get into the home.  By doing a routine clean of your roof and checking for damaged shingles, you can protect your roof and keep it watertight without having to pay for expensive roof repairs.

Vents on Roof

The basic plumbing of a house can sometimes put a house at risk for roof leaks. Leakages can occur with something as simple and essential as a ventilation fan duct.  Depending on the plumbing setup, some houses may be more vulnerable to leaks during heavy rains than others.  You will need to call a professional roofing company to inspect your roof.

Chimneys

Houses with chimneys will be more prone to roof leakages than houses without chimneys. While water can obviously leak inside through the chimney itself, the outer structure of chimneys tends to be very efficient at retaining water, thus forming the basis for more leaks.  People that have any imperfections in their roof shingles will be that much more likely to experience roof leaks if they also have chimneys.

Metal Roofs

Metal roofs can experience corrosion over time, so some homeowners may be experiencing roof leaks simply because of wear and tear from their metal roofs. This is a particularly difficult problem to fix during seasons with heavy rain, which can cause additional damage to a corroded roof.

Attics

Homeowners with attics that haven’t been ventilated properly may be indirectly putting themselves at risk for roof leaks.  A sufficiently hot attic will cause melt-water to form and collect throughout the roof.  This same melt-water can freeze again and melt again, and leak into a person’s house from there.  Heavy rainfall during temporarily warmer winter days will only make the situation worse for homeowners. Experienced roofing contractors will need to look into this for you and fix the problem.

Roof Age

All homeowners need to keep their roofs properly maintained, since roofing shingles eventually get old and crack.  Sometimes, the roof leaks that occur during heavy rains happen because the components of the roof in question are finally starting to degrade.  Homeowners that are experiencing roof leaks should always consider this possibility when they are wondering who they should call in order to address the problem.

People that live in areas that are generally prone to bad weather may have suffered roof damage from previous storms.  People that live in heavily wooded areas may have had a lot of animals climb on their roofs, or they may have had tree branches hit their roofs.  A series of simple events like these can still lead to roof leaks down the line.

Schedule a roof inspection today to prevent any further damage to your roof.