A leaking roof is the most noticeable and common roofing problem. The problem can be minor or major but the damage it can cause is significant irrespective of the damage. A small leak can cause the roof sheathing and rafters of your home to rot and mould to grow in the insulation and thus, you should repair your roof immediately you notice a leak. The most noticeable sign of a leaking roof is water stains across the ceiling or water stains that run down the walls. In most occasions, it is easy to fix the leak but very difficult to track down the leak.
It is difficult to track down most roof leaks because they originate away from where the leak shows up. Before you begin the leak search, you should first understand that water will get in through broken, missing or worn shingles. Water can also penetrate through places with loose nails or through poorly sealed or corroded sealed roof flashing around skylights, chimneys, intersections or vents of roof planes. Once the water passes through the roof, it will flow along the roof rafters, sheathing or topside of the ceilings until it finds an opening to drip down, which makes tracking very difficult.
Nevertheless, it is very possible to find the source of the leak. You should conduct the leak search during the day. To locate a leak, you should go to the attic safely by stepping only secure framing members. You should look from the place of drip and work your way up the roof. You should look for stains, wetness, water marks or discolorations made by moisture on the wood. If you cannot find the cause of the leak from the attic or by visual inspection on the roof surface, you should carry out a water test. To carry out water testing, one person should go to the roof and the other person to the attic with a bucket and a strong light.
The person inside the attic should look for leaks as the other person floods the roof with the hose. The person flooding the roof should start at the bottom and work slowly up roof until a leak appears in the attic. Once you notice the leak, you should mark the location for easy identification. Once you find the leak, you should identify the best repair method. Different roofing materials require different repair methods but you should choose a fast fix. However, you should understand that working on a roof top can be difficult and dangerous.
The best way to avoid ANY leaks is to apply a roof seal to your roofing. You can opt to either seal it or just paint it to seal in and protect the roof. Get more information from The Eastern Melbourne Roofing website. This will protect and seal your roof from any leaks and ensure that it will have many years of protection from the elements.
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