While this may seem a tad bit funny, all humour is lost when water starts dripping from the ceiling straight onto your face as you’re sleeping, or a pipe bursts while you’re on vacay for a week.
A roof leak is a serious problem with even more serious implications. When a roof leaks, it has the potential to damage furniture, appliances, electronics, and even the home’s structural integrity. Dripping water will pool and seek a way out, and heaven forbid that the leak is coming from the second-floor bathroom because it will create havoc on every surface it touches on its way down and out of your property.
This is where your roof leak detection and repairs specialist comes in. But before we do that, let us show you the 7 most common causes of roof leaks.
Here are the 7 most common causes of roof leaks:
- The age of your roof. While this may seem overly simple, we cannot overstate the fact that your roof’s age will have to be considered when water starts dripping from the ceiling. Over time, regardless of the type of roofing you have, it will wear with age and be more vulnerable to damage from sun and rain. A roof leak detection specialist can tell you if it can be repaired or restored, or if replacement is the next best option to protect your home.
- Improperly installed roofing. If you think you’ve saved a few hundred jolly green giants on your roofing contractor who’s your workmate’s cousin’s hubbie’s classmate in kindergarten, you will have another serious think coming come the rainy season. Unfortunately, we have seen this happen all too many times—from a friend’s recommendation of somebody who claims to be an ‘expert roofing contractor’. These so-called ‘roofing specialists’ come in, do a bugger of a job, and leave with no warranty whatsoever. The nasty surprise comes when it starts to rain your roof leaks like a sieve. Do yourself a favor and call a true roofing specialist like us to help you install your roof properly.
- Clogging in the gutters. Your gutters are often overlooked until it causes a problem. Leaf, dirt, and other debris have a way of converging on house gutters and when mixed with rainwater, it is a recipe for disaster. But! This is not a call for you to get up onto your roof and clean it up yourself. Let an expert for gutter repairs and cleaning company like us do that for you. Our trained eyes and senses can do a visual inspection of your roof while we’re up there and give you recommendations on how to do proper gutter maintenance. This is the best way to avoid leaks from clogged gutters. If left unchecked, clogged gutters will divert water onto your walls and sidings, causing even more damage.
- Flashing is faulty. Roofing 101: roof flashing is a thin metal (typically aluminium) material used by roofers to effectively direct water away from areas of the roof such as where the roof meets the walls, chimneys, skylights, or even vents. These are typically installed at every intersection of the roof, adding a layer of weatherproofing on uneven surfaces. If the flashing is faulty, water will seep into these cracks, and even if the cracks are initially small, time will eventually create a hole big enough for more water to seep through and eventually find its way into your home.
- The Skylight. Modern home builders aspire to bring nature into the home, and one of the tricks they employ is to put a skylight in their design. Having a skylight lets the sun’s rays into the home, lighting up an otherwise dingy area, especially during the winter months when days are shorter. A skylight, however, is essentially a hole in your roof, and if not properly installed, is a major cause of roof leaks. Common causes of these leaks from a skylight include installing a skylight with a faulty pitch, inadequate flashing and seal, or worn-out flashing and seal. Again, a roof leak specialist is in the best position to help you should you have concerns like this as we have the expertise to determine the causes of roof leaks and what the best course of action is.
- Shingles are broken and/or missing. Frankly, my dear, you cannot not give a damn if your shingles have ‘gone with the wind’. Wind that is propelled horizontally with speeds of 45mph is enough to lift loose shingles, and if your roofing has aged quite a bit, you could be in for a leaking disaster. The problem with broken or loose shingles is that they are not easily noticeable as we don’t usually spend any amount of time staring at our roofs nor are they easily accessible. We are clued in on the problems when leaks occur and your friendly neighborhood roof leak repair experts tell you that you’re missing a few shingles. The best way to avoid this is to have roof maintenance done on your property after a particularly nasty downpour to get your home ready for similar weather events in the future.
- Zero maintenance. Roofing materials are designed to withstand a lot torture from the elements. However, with the harsh Australian weather, it’s fairly common for your roof to get shabby with time. With all that’s been said above as to the various causes of roof leaks, it mainly boils down to neglect.
Regular roof maintenance is a must if you want to avoid costly repairs to your property. After all, the roof is an integral part of your home’s protection.
When done correctly by a roof specialist, roof maintenance can prevent premature ageing of your roof and enables you to address roof concerns before they become a bigger concern.
