What To Do When You Have Roof Leaks?

Leaky roofs require sudden and emergency repairs. First of all, you need to organize your interior. All items should be removed from the affected areas to prevent further water damage. Items in adjacent areas that don’t have leaks should be covered with plastic to avoid being exposed to splash and excessive humidity. We need to prepare a number of buckets permanently in the affected area, so dripping water can be collected immediately. In some cases, water has soaked into our furniture and carpet, so it is important to perform immediate actions to dry them up. Soggy carpets should be pulled away from their padding and dried under the sun to ensure quicker drying time. The padding underneath should also dry quicker, reducing the chances for mold to grow. Fresh air should be circulated around any affected indoor area. After we have the interior damage fully addressed, it is important to inspect the roof itself. We will need to find out whether there’s pooling or standing water inside. Water could overflow into the ceiling and down into the interior of the house if downspouts and gutters are clogged with debris.

We should try to improve the roofing condition to make sure that all the shingles are in proper conditions. They should still be aligned properly, because strong winds and falling tree trunks can cause shingles to become disorganized. Even the smallest hole could become point of entry of water into our living space. Water could travel inside the roofing system, so the leak on the roof may not directly above the entry of point into our interior. After you have cleaned up the gutter and downspouts, it is a good idea to check the flashings. Leakage may occur due to damaged flashings around roof projections, vents and chimneys, which cause some water to get into the structure. If the flashing is really in poor condition, our only option is to replace it and if there’s light to moderate damage, a generous application of tar could solve our problems. Finding leaks on the roof can be quite tricky, so we need to be patient when looking for hidden damages. Roof damage could happen progressively and if we let a damage to stay hidden, things can get really serious and we won’t be aware about it.

Despite our best efforts, the damage may stay hidden, but they should be immediately detected when we see discoloured woods and damaged OSB panels. Other signs of hidden leak include peeling paint, bulging ceiling and heavily cracked wallboard or plaster. This should be a sign that something wrong is happening in our attic. Unfortunately, the increased humidity inside our roofing system will result in another consequence. Ants, thermites and other water-loving critters will find our home as their favourite habitat and they will start to establish a nest. It is likely that we have a number of damp wood in our house, if we find earwigs, sow bugs, pill bugs, powder post beetles and ants in greater numbers.