Sprung a leak in your home? Your roof is essential for preventing water from entering your home, and its primary purpose is to resist the elements and keep you and your family safe (and dry), but roof leaks can occur.A roof leak can be alarming and it should be a critical reason to contact a qualified roofer at the shortest notice. What causes roof leaks and what are the most common causes? How can you ensure that your roof is repaired and any leaks are remediated?Below are some of the most common sources of roof leaks and how to repair them:
Damaged Roofing Tiles
For tiled roofs, such as terracotta, slate, concrete, or synthetic (or asphalt ‘shingles’ as are much more common in America), cracked or dislodged tiles can lead to roof leaks if they aren’t contained.While these materials are generally durable and quite resistant to physical damage, they can be dislodged under heavy winds or from sustaining impact damage, e.g. falling branches. This can create an opportunity for water to seep in, so it’s essential to have a roofing contractor replace any damaged or missing roofing tiles at the earliest opportunity.
Cracked or Damaged Roof Flashing
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, as the saying goes, and for many roofs the flashing is a potentially vulnerable point where water can enter the home. Of course, every competent roofer will have installed flashing guards around any such areas such as vents, chimneys, and so on, but the flashing material itself can wear out or rust over time, thus letting water come in.Roofers can inspect your roof and diagnose any vulnerabilities with the flashing, potentially replacing it with newer flashing if necessary to avoid roof leaks.
Clogged Gutters
Every home should have a good, clean, and functional gutter and downspout system to facilitate drainage from the roof and away from the structure. As many homeowners know, however, the gutters can quite easily get clogged with leaves or other debris.Clogged gutters usually lead to water creeping over and dripping down along the sides of the house during heavy rainfall, but they could also cause water to seep into the roof as well.Guardian Roofing has convenient gutter cleaning and installation services as well as novel ways of managing gutters with gutter guards to cut back on the cleaning and to keep coarse debris away whilst letting rainwater through.
Worn Out Roof Sealant
Many areas of the roof require sealant in order to create an impermeable barrier where water can’t enter. Normally, areas where roofing sealant can age and crack – and thus start to let water in – are around chimneys or vents, where you’d expect to find flashing as well.Although roofing sealant is designed to be long-lasting and water-resistant, it doesn’t last forever. Ask a reputable roofing contractor to inspect your roof and to reapply roofing sealant as needed.
Punctures & Physical Damage to the Roof
Of course, the most obvious culprit for a roof leak and the most acute is from a puncture, generally from severe weather that can cause heavy branches to fall on top of the roof and punch through.For damage such as this, it’s essential to move everyone to safety if the roof is at risk of collapsing, contacting emergency services and your home insurance provider, and contacting a qualified roofing contractor for emergency repairs.
