Suddenly, out of nowhere, is either the sound of dripping water, mysterious damp patches, or small pools of water, appearing in odd parts of your home. These are probably signs that you are going to suffer a leaky roof!
You could ignore it and hope it will go to the neighbors, but if you do that you are risking it leading to more extensive and expensive repairs. Longer is the dripping period and indoor pools of water, greater will the eventual repairs be. So, if the weather prevents an inspection, the alternative is finding a temporary solution.
The first way
The first thing is to clear the leak affected area of furnishings that could be water damaged. If it’s a small leak, catch the dripping water with a container. However, if the situation is more serious, for example, potential flooding, then determine the leak area and cover it with heavy-duty plastic sheeting or a tarpaulin. Make sure it’s secured with strips of wood, nailed down.
Secondly, safety first
It is worth mentioning that when fixing any part of a roof; arrange it for a dry day; climbing over a slippery roof is risky to the extreme. In any conditions though, gain better traction by wearing rubber-soled shoes.
Having found leak source and you are absolutely certain that it originates with the roof, you can now assess the work needed. One primary consideration is that you are happy working a few feet from ground level, as well as climbing up and down a ladder, with tools and materials!
Number three
Make sure you check the following:
- Missing or damaged shingles?
- Left-over materials from when the roof was last worked on
- The closest shingle match from your retailer; color fades with time.
The fourth step
Before you start working on the roof, make sure you have one of the family or a friend, close by in case of an emergency and that you have a safety harness. Now check you have the following tools and materials:
- Hammer
- Flat pry-bar
- Roofing nails and sealant
- Shingles to match
Now you are ready to start work.
A thought
It is well known that water is a great traveler, especially across, over, under and down roofs. Many contractors test this flow by running water from a hosepipe on the roof to track the true source, which may be on one side of the roof, but exits on the other.
Therefore, before spending a lot of your time and money, as well as some risky roof climbing; call qualified roofing professional, to get what could be for you, a cost effective opinion!