Often the roof begins to flow after heavy rains or heavy snowfalls. Even if the roof is normal, moisture can leak through the waterproofing layers and begin to flood the attic through which it can get into the living space.
In principle, this problem can be solved by our own efforts. First, you should understand that the water can penetrate through the smallest damage to the roof.
To properly find the place where the roof flows, you should carefully examine the entire surface of the roof. Damage to the roof in a private home could be formed much higher than the place where the water went into the attic room. Very often there are leaks in the area where the chimney runs through the roof. In addition, the water will be easy to pass through the roof, slabs and rafters, seeping into the room is not where the leak occurred.
Because of what may be leaking roof?
The roof is leaking for a variety of reasons:
- Natural wear and tear on the roofing material from which the roof structure is made. The surface layer may begin to deteriorate due to direct exposure to sunlight, temperature changes, various atmospheric precipitation. Due to the fact that the operating conditions are not too favorable, the roof begins to appear cracks through which the water will pass. Gradually, they will become more and more, and this situation is very typical for any roofing materials, regardless of what they are made of and what service life have;
- The occurrence of damage due to stress and physical influences. These defects in some cases may occur in the house, covered with new roofing materials. As the cause may be hail, hurricane or just a strong wind. Roofing in the house can be damaged by falling on it branches, stones and so on;
- Roofing can become leaking due to violations of its construction technology. For example, a roofing felt should be laid in three layers and placed in two layers, and poor quality fasteners should be used;
- The installation itself was done incorrectly. It is connected with incorrect project development. That is why it is suggested to hire a prooved contractor, like Tornado Roofing & Contracting. Such defects appear very quickly – only a few weeks after the house was put into operation. Also, leaks may occur due to the fact that the roofing material has moved.
How to get rid of leaks?
The question of what to do if the roof started leaking, worries every homeowner. Here everything depends on what materials are made of roofing. If the roof began to leak, covered with a layer of slate, it should be very carefully inspected. Often, the emergence of leaks is associated with the formation of cracks or chips on the sheets. In this situation, they will have to be replaced by new ones. If the cracks are not large, then instead of replacing an entire sheet can use an ordinary sealant for street work or a special tape based on bitumen.
The cause of the leak may be associated with areas where the roof is attached to the purlins. All areas where the nails pass through the slate, you will need to carefully smear with a bitumen-based sealant. The nails are also best hammered at the top of the wave.
Tile roofing is usually leaking due to the fact that individual tiles are damaged or moved from their place. In case of damage should be replaced with new tiles, and the roof is further strengthened so that the other elements have not started to move from their seats. If you were able to detect a crack, and to replace this product is not possible, this area is carefully smeared on both sides of the mastic on a bituminous base.
