No Leaks About It: Roof Repair Tips

A leaky roof is never a good sign. Realize that some roofing problems are preventable, while others will normally be damaged as a result of age and environmental factors. For small leaks, sometimes all you'll need is a good construction adhesive product and you're all set.  

A few factors that can be accredited to a leaking roof are:

·      Poor maintenance

·      Weathering/wind damage

·      Poor design/structural integrity

·      Flashing damage

·      Improper mountings

Locating exactly where the leak in the roof is can be seriously frustrating, time consuming, and usually an expensive task. A good rule of thumb to remember is that say you have discovered a leak in the corner of your office—don’t expect the leak to be directly above it.

The reason for this is that buildings or houses age and will more than likely not be quite level anymore, due to earth movement and so the leak could be starting anywhere up to twenty feet or so from where it’s actually dripping.

Aging guttering can also cause roof leaks. It is essential that gutters on the building are clean of all leaves and other junk that stops it from flowing like it should be. It’s common for blocked guttering to cause a build-up of water, overflowing and resulting in the roof leak.

Have a good look out for old rusted nails if you have an iron roof. These need to be replaced. Remember that if water finds its way through a pinhole, it will pool and build up in your ceiling. This will most likely cause quite a flow an hour or so later inside the building.

The last place to look out for roof leaks can be the worst of all and that is the older flat roofs with Butanol as its lining, which is a tar-like sheet. If you cannot immediately see problems with your roof, then it is best to inspect bargeboards.

Bargeboards are located just below the roofline and if the building is older, they should be checked periodically for damage, rot, and normal wear-and-tear. They are so high up and tend to not be as obvious as say your weatherboards or whatever cladding you have, but they are important to check to repair roof leaks.

Normally any sign of rot can be obvious close up as you will be able to see ‘soft spots.’ This needs to be attended to immediately since rot in wood will more likely lead to roof leaks down internal walls or in the ceiling and can cause all sorts of problems.

If you find this is the problem or one of the problems attributing to a roof leak, clean all the dead wood out. This must be done thoroughly. Mix up your bog (a compound that is similar to fiberglass) and put it deep into the hole thoroughly. This is only a suitable option if the rot is small, encompassing three to four inches in diameter at the most.

The bog hardens in about five minutes. Once it is hardened it can be difficult to sand over. The entire bargeboard must be replaced if the rotting hole is bigger than a few inches.

Roof leaks can also be inferred a number of ways. Darkened ceiling tiles, moldy corners and damp insulation may remain for weeks following a significant storm, offering you something like a roadmap to the source of the leak. You may also want to pay particular attention to material intersections such as dormers that may be hiding conduits for water just out of sight.