How To Fix A Leaky Roof

How To Fix A Leaky Roof

A roof tends to be the most important component of a house. There is a reason homeowners tend to be conscious of it. To begin with, roofs undergo a lot of wear and tear. Therefore, one should indeed be considerate about its maintenance. Since roofs bear all, with time they tend to become damaged. Typically, it will start from a minor problem and then turn into a big one if you don’t hire a roof repair service soon enough. One of the biggest problems is the leakage. With that being said, in this blog, we are going to discuss how to fix a leaky roof. Follow us!

Finding Roof Leaks

To fix a leaky roof, the first thing you need to locate is the source of the leakage. Start by inspecting the roof uphill, the area where stains were found. Usually, leakages occur where there are plumbing, roof vents, dormers, and chimneys, etc. Since these things are projecting inside, there are high chances that leakages will occur at the same source. Furthermore, if your house includes an attic, the best thing to do is to grab a flashlight and go up there in search of evidence. If there is leakage, you will observe rotting wood, molds or stains, etc.

Finding Difficult Leaks

In some cases, you might come across difficult leaks. As a result, you will be needing a helping hand to catch the suspect. What you need to do is climb on your roof and tell your helper to stay inside where the leakage is occurring. Water the area for a while and tell the helper to yell as soon as the dripping appears. This process might take a while therefore, you need to be patient. If this technique does not work out, remove the shingles, and observe the stains (if any) thoroughly. It shall lead you right to the source.

Straighten And Reattach Curled Shingles

If your house consists of roof shingles, know that they tend to become curled over time. Therefore, carefully smooth the curled-shingles and then use a caulking gun to apply a sealant below the raised corners. Pressing the shingles down, use a trowel to apply roof cement over the corners of the shingle. During the winter season, shingles tend to become brittle. In such cases, you will need to soften them using a blow dryer. However, make sure not to use anything too extreme that might damage them.

Repair A Crack With A Roof Sealant

If you observe that a shingle has a clear crack, there is no need to replace it. Simply use a caulking gun to spread a thin layer of roof sealant in the crack. Press down the shingle and then apply another layer of roof sealant over the crack. Use a tool like a putty knife to equally spread the sealant around.

Fixing Roof Vents

Sometimes the problem might just be a roof vent. If the roof vent is made of plastic, look for cracked housing and if it is made of metal, check for broken seams. If incase the roof vent comes out to be faulty, there is nothing you can do about it other than replacing it. Moreover, a caulk will not help either.

Don’t Count On Caulk For Long

While you are busy fixing the roof leakage or leakages, keep in mind that not every problem is going to be fixed by using a caulking gun, at least in major and difficult leakages. Minor problems could be solved but caulking will only be a temporary fix. Therefore, when it comes to fixing roof leakages, make sure that you always opt for mechanical fixes to deal with the solution permanently. Hire an expert contractor to fix it for you.

Final Word

Now that you are aware of how to fix a roof leakage, it is better that you immediately get down with fixing it. Finding the location of the leakage is the biggest task. Once, that is done, the solution will follow. A roof needs to be the strongest component followed by the walls. One should not compromise on its strength and quality of fixes. That’s why you should only hire roof repair contractors that are skilled and charge as per the market rate. Too cheap services can be bad for your roof.

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