IS YOUR ROOF LEAKING? – FAMILY ROOFING

Posted on by David Reid

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At Family Roofing, we take great pride in our experience, expertise, quality and customer service. It is our mission to provide excellent workmanship and complete customer satisfaction from start to completion of a project. Our reputation is based on service, safety and quality, regardless of how large or small the job.

IS YOUR ROOF LEAKING?

Roof leaks can cause significant damage to a home if the underlying cause isn’t discovered and repaired promptly.  Since water can travel outward from the point where a leak occurs, it may be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause.  Check your roof for some of the most common causes of leaks to stop an existing leak or to prevent future problems.  Learning how to find a roof leak is easy but accomplishing the task can be frustrating.  Call a professional!

Water frequently enters the house near things that go through the roof.  Projections or penetrations such as vents, dormers and chimneys are frequent places for leaks.  Locating the exact source can be tricky because visible signs of a leak on the inside might be several feet away from the actual source.

To find the source of a roof leak:

  • Look in the attic with a flashlight for evidence like water stains, then trace them up the roof and rafters to the entry point.

  • If the leak isn’t obvious, have a helper watch in the attic while you get on the roof with a garden hose.

  • Begin soaking low on the roof, just above where the leak is visible inside the house.

  • Use enough water to mimic heavy rains.

  • Run water over the low side of the penetration for several minutes while the helper watches for any water droplets.

  • If none appear, move to the right or left side of the penetration and let the water run over the area for several minutes before moving to the other side.

  • Work your way up the roof, isolating areas around each penetration until the helper yells that a drip is visible.

  • That will be the vicinity of the leak.

What To Do If Your Roof Is Leaking

Knowing what causes a leak and where it is coming from is vital.  However, it’s equally important to know how to keep the damage to your house to a minimum until it can be repaired.

The first step is determining whether or not you have a leak.  The following are some early signs to look for in your home:

  • Water damage or moisture spots on your ceiling

  • Peeling or bubbling interior paint during heavy storms

  • Missing shingles

  • A musty or damp odor, most likely in the attic

  • Water drip sounds in the home

  • Moldy or moist drywall

  • Decking (the wood floor beneath the shingles and underlayment) is wet or decaying

Once you’ve discovered the source of the water leak, it’s time to try to limit the damage until a professional can fix it.  During rainstorms, one option to prevent water from causing too much damage is to catch it in a bucket.  If water is collecting in the ceiling, make a small hole with a screwdriver.  This directs the water to a single point. Just make sure you have a bucket handy to catch the water droplets!

How Do Leaks Form?

Simply put, leaking roofs are caused by damage.  But how do roofs get damaged in the first place?  There are many factors that may cause damage to your roof. For most homeowners, the most common cause of damage that leads to a leaky roof is broken or missing shingles.  Shingles can become damaged for a number of reasons. For example, severe wind, weather and incorrect installation can cause shingles to be damaged, as can impacts and gradual wear and tear.

The bad news is that regardless of how your leak formed, leaky roofs can cause drywall damage, rotted wood, and mold growth.  The good news is that there are repair options available that fix these issues and save your roof before it’s too late.

The Most Common Causes of Roof Leaks

The more common causes of damaged roofs are improper installation, the weather, impact damage, and old age.  However, there are plenty more reasons that your roof might have started leaking.

  • Improper Installation: Improper installation is rare if homeowners do their homework and choose a professional roofing contractor with proper training and experience. It’s when homeowners attempt to install their own shingles that they are often installed improperly.

  • Impact Damage: The homeowner stepping on the roof, squirrels and/or other animals running across it, or hail damage are the most common causes of impact damage to the roof.  Sudden roof penetrations, such as a tree branch falling on the roof during a storm, can also cause roof leaks.

  • Severe Weather: Most roof damage is typically caused by the weather.  Shingles can be ripped off by strong winds, and hail can cause holes in the shingles. Frost and high heat cause shingles to crack over time due to expansion and contraction.  Water gets into and under shingles when this happens.

  • Old Age: Roofs also leak because they are old.  Like everything else, they wear out over time and need replacing.  Older roofs begin to crack and decay, making them more vulnerable to damage.

  • Faulty Flashing, Roof Vents, or Ridge Caps: Flashing is used around the chimney and its sidewalls to keep water out of a home.  Eventually, the mortar on a chimney erodes, causing the metal flashing to loosen and allow a leak.  In addition, a plastic vent pipe is prone to cracking after a few years.  Further, if the gaskets around the vent pipes are not properly sealed, leaks can occur.  Ridge caps are used to close the gap between the two slopes of a roof at the summit. They must be properly fortified, otherwise, holes will form and create leaks in your roof.

  • Bad Pipe Boot: This is the plumbing that runs up the roof and rests on top of it.  A rubber roof boot does not last nearly as long as a roof and can easily be damaged by harsh weather conditions.

  • Gutter Clog: Your gutters can overflow onto your roof if they become clogged with leaves, twigs, or other debris, and ceiling leaks can happen if the water oversaturates.  In addition, extremely cold temperatures can freeze water inside the gutters.  Then, extra water has nowhere to go and tends to creep up the rooftop and cause water to leak through the outside walls of a building or residence.

However, even if your leak is small, hiring a roofing contractor is your best bet.  A professional will  inspect not only the roof’s overall structure but also any trouble spots that could lead to a future leak.

How Long Can You Leave a Leaking Roof?

There is no way to tell how long a leaky roof may be ignored before causing harm.  There are a lot of variables at play here, so it’s better to be careful and get your roof leak fixed as soon as possible.

When Should You Call a Professional to Fix a Leak?

Most of the time, it’s best to contact a professional roofer to repair your roof right away.

It is very important to maintain the condition of your roof.  You should also take a look at your attic at least twice a year to note any potential warnings signs such as:

  • Mold

  • Algae stains on the plywood

  • Rusty roofing nails

  • Nail heads with black rings around it

  • Damp or wet insulation

These are all indicators that you need roof leaking repair.