Roof Leaks

Roof leaks can be annoying, irritating & expensive. The cause is sometimes tough to find  &
once in a while very easy to find.

Let's start by telling you where to look.

Any break in the normal roofing is going to be the culprit most of the time.

1. First check around all the vent pipes, exhaust vents, skylights or any other breaks in the
normal roof that you can find. Make sure the tar around the openings has not dried out &
created any tiny holes where water can enter. Buy yourself a can of roof tar & seal any opening
you can find. This will fix maybe 80% of all roof leaks.

2. If you cannot find any problems with the roof breaks then start to look at any valleys in your
roof. These are the valleys where water is directed from two sloping roof. Many times the
water will backup into & overflow the valley flashing. If someone has walked on this type
flashing he may have crushed the outer edges of the flashing. This is more difficult to repair &
will probably require a roofing contractor to replace the valley flashing.

3. Check to make sure the rain gutters are large enough capacity to handle the water flow from
a long sloping roof. Clean out any debris clogging the down spouts. If the gutter fills up & overflows it sometimes spills back over the facia board & into the ceiling of the room.

4. Sometimes the leak stems from the walls & not the roof. If you have older windows with storms & screens then many times the sills are rotting & will leak rain water.  These leaks will
appear on both the wall & the ceilings in the house. The best solution is to replace the window.

5. If all of the above fails try getting into the attic & see if you can spot any water staining on
the roofing plywood. Many times this will lead you to the problem.

6. If you have asphalt shingles check to see if the corners of the
shingles are curling up. This is an indication your roof is drying out from years of sunshine &
needs replacement.

7. Tile roofs or slate roofs are not keeping out the rain water but are merely decorative rather
than functional. It is the roofing under the slate or tile that is the weatherproofing. After 20
plus years if all else fails then the roof probably must be replaced.

If all else fails then you have no choice but to call a roofing contractor. You can find one here.