I know it may be sad to hear, but roofs are not invulnerable to wear and tear, nor to weather conditions. Every now and then you will have to provide maintenance for your roof, and you will have to fix everything that is even slightly out of place. This is not something that you should leave unattended to, otherwise you will be facing a very nasty leakage that will be both annoying, and will cost you when it starts damaging the structure of your home. When a roof is leaking it must be taken care of immediately. A roof repair can be a costly experience and that’s not counting the carpet cleaning fees you will have to pay after your floors are soaked and start collecting mildew. And yes, those have to be cleaned as best as possible, with the best cleaners before they start causing health problems. Builders may have to be called in if the problem is serous enough. There are some tips on how to fix a leaking roof before making it a handyman job.
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Do a Thorough Checkup
When you even suspect that there might be some roof damage – or even if there have been a few months since your last checkup – you should go up there and check the overall structure of the roof. Check every board, every plank, every brick or rock, or whatever the roof is made out of. You want a solid and spotless defense against the sky’s constant attempts to drown you or break your house, right?
Fix the Blisters
Check for any blisters and cracks along the roofing if you have a solid roof. If there are some, then immediately buy some roof cement. Take something sharp and cut off the cracked area of the roof, then fill it up with the roofing cement and it will no longer be a problem.
Replaced Damaged Shingles
Always check the shingles. If the shingles are curled up, they may need to be replaced. If they come off with little effort, they should also be replaced. Once the old shingle is removed, scrape off any form of roof cement that is left under it. Use a utility knife to help put the new shingle in place and smooth it down. Cleaning will not do a much better job, so be thorough with the structural work. Also, when you are buying your shingles unless you are a roof expert, you should always ask the seller about their solidity and even ask for advice about both choice of shingle, and method of placing – every new information should be welcomed.
Connections
If the leak is happening in an area where there is a connection remove any damaged caulk and then clean and dry this area. Cut the tip off a new tube of caulk and put it along the same lines. Work the caulk into the crack and allow it to dry. Make sure all holes are plugged, make sure that the immediate area around the connections is not compromised and that it can manage even with a bit more wear and tear. Always make sure that little pushes won’t be too much for the structure and fortify the area around the connections as best you can.
Check for Additional Damage
Even after you think you are done, you will need to do another checkup. It’s important that you stay vigilant above all else when dealing with roof damage. When you find an area of damage, you need to check the area above and below the site of damage. Usually there is a leak that occurs around this area. You should also inspect the suspected area from the attic, to check for inside damage and leakages. You should look for water stains, black marks, or any mold growing.
The Clean Up
And after you are done with everything else, you need to do a final home cleaning for the entire home in case you missed an area. As stated before, if there are any leak damages, they should be cleaned immediately before they start creating moisture which will lead to mildew and rot. These are two words you will want to keep away from your home. If you don’t think you can do it yourself, don’t worry – you can always find inexpensive cleaning companies and professional cleaners who can do that for you.
These are just some tips on how to fix a leaking roof that can help save a person a lot of money and repair the problem in no time. The most expenses you could come across is if you have to buy new materials from the store, but in most cases – unless there is an extreme weather situation at hand, or something completely unforeseeable – roofs can be handled
I like the idea of doing one last final clean up in case you missed any other leaks or problems. I once thought that I’d found the leak, only to find out that there were actually two leaks and I’d only fixed one of them. Making sure you’re not missing anything is a great idea when it comes to making sure you’re repairing your roof the right way. Thanks for sharing!
To me nothing is worse than having a leak in my roof. Not only is it annoying, it can damage my roof and ceiling. So every once in a while, I get on the roof and check for any damage that could cause a leak. This way I can repair any damages and prevent anything worse from happening. Thanks for the great advice and tips!
“Hi Erin,
Leaking roofs is one of the issues that many of the homeowners face. You have covered a lot of important things in the post and definitely it will be of great help to those looking for solutions for leaking roof. A regular check-up of any leak or damage in roof at early stage can surely save your money in comparison to big damage repairs. It is better to take steps early as sometimes an unnoticed small leak can also cause the roof sheathing, mold growth and rotted framing. Searching the exact location of the leak is an important task. Remove any suspected area covered shingles from the roof. If it’s a hole very small in size then for temporary fixing you can use a 12-by-12-inch piece of galvanized sheet metal fixing it underneath the damaged shingle.”
Great advice you have shared for fixing leaking roof. In order to find the source of a leak, follow a roofer’s advice. Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful blog with us. I am related to the roofing business and find your blog to be very well written. What I think about roof leakage or maintaining the overall condition of the roof is that one should always take an annual checkup of the roof. This would involve checking out insulation, ventilation, attic aftermath, trimming down troublesome trees to name a few. Roofing will always need maintenance and to make sure your roofing stays at the quality it needs to, we will be there. At Applied Roofing Services, we will make sure your roof is serving its purpose as well as it should with no problems.
I think my biggest concern is replacing my shingles. I can tell quite a few are missing because of the wind and I can see some of that curling you mentioned. It sounds like I should get them replaced before a leak develops.
You mentioned that you should always check the shingles; how often should you do that? We don’t get on the roof hardly ever so it’s hard to know if there are any that need replacement. We recently had a leak in our roof which led us to replacing some of our shingles but we definitely don’t want to wait for another leak to check them. Any further information you have would be really helpful!
After reading this article I believe that I’m due for a roof. I was afraid that it had gotten bad because of hail but it is showing other signs of wear as well. Is there anything you can do about the hail?
Shingle damage is really the biggest red flag for any roof damage, but some damage isn’t as apparent. Always keep your outer roof taken care of to ensure that the inside stays healthy as well. Thanks for sharing!
Could not have said this better myself. This is a great article, and I appreciate you taking the time to write it. I have been in the roofing business for a long time, and have helped many customers with their roofing repairs, roof replacements, and new roofs. There are many things I try and educate homeowners on, and am going to reference this article.
Do leave a link back here when you do, cheers 🙂
his was very helpful, we had our roof replaced about five years ago. I do not think they replaced the gutters at that time. We started having leaks last winter when there was heavy snow fall, freezing and thawing all season.