How To Find A Roof Leak
It’s great to own your own home, but when something goes wrong, it can leave you feeling stressed and even overwhelmed. One thing nobody wants to see is an unexpected puddle of water on the floor. Water damage is one of the scariest things for a home, and that’s why any leak in a roof has to be addressed quickly.
Knowing you have a leak is only the first step. The leak has to be traced to its source, or the roof cannot be fixed. If you’re new to this challenge, a few tips can help a ton. These are tried and true methods for finding a leak in your roof.
Check the Attic
The attic is the best place to start your search. If it’s raining or has rained recently, there’s a good chance you can spot the leak. Definitely take a flashlight. Water reflects light well, so scanning with your flashlight can help you spot an active leak.
If you can’t find water droplets, you can look for damp spots. Insulation is your best friend. It stays damp for a long time and can help you trace the leak. On the roof itself, you’re looking for any discoloration to see where the water is coming in. If it hasn’t rained that day, you can also look for signs of mold. Mold will stick around even when the area starts to dry.
When you do find your damp spot, mold, or other sign, remember that the leak isn’t necessarily right there. Water can run along the underside of the roof or along support beams before it is fully absorbed or drips down. Try to trace the signs of water to the initial point of ingress.
Look at the Drywall
If you don’t have an attic, you can look at your ceiling. The majority of ceilings are drywall, and that can help you track leaks. Water will dampen and stain drywall quite easily. You can see the signs as clear as day. If that happens, you know where to start your search.
Even with a flat roof, water doesn’t always drip straight down. The drywall stain will help you find the general area of the leak, but you’ll have to get on the roof and search carefully for the exact point where water is getting through.
Trace Puddles
There are times when the water won’t go through an attic or ceiling. If you have skylights, high windows, or any other points of entry on the roof, they can leak directly. When they do, they might leave a small puddle on the floor. Alternatively, water might run down the wall. You can spot these issues by tracking the running or dripping water.
If it seems like the source of the problem is a skylight or window, that’s probably the case. They can have seal failures that let water through. The good news is that fixing these leaks won’t require you to replace the roof. As long as you can safely access the issue, resealing is one of the easier solutions to a roof leak.
Get the Roof Wet
Sometimes, you know you have a leak, but you can’t get to it right away. Naturally, you want to address any leak as soon as possible. Water damage can pile up faster than you might imagine. Regardless, if you’re looking for the leak on a sunny day, it might prove difficult.
You can help your search by running a garden hose up to the roof. Make your own rain and use it to track the problem to its source. That little bit of extra water is worth it if you can seal the leak before the next major storm.
When you run the hose, use the methods above to track the leak and solve your problem.
Call in the Leak Repair Pros
If you can’t find the leak, you can always get professional help. Roofers do this kind of thing on a daily basis, and they can help you track down the leak quickly and efficiently.
Similarly, you might find the leak on your own, but then the roof has to be repaired. For that, professional help is always reliable. No matter what kind of help you need with your roof, Total Roofing & Service Inc. can take care of you. Contact us today for leaking roof repair in Southern Vermont. We’ll listen to your problem, and we’ll come over as soon as possible to resolve it. We diagnose and repair all kinds of problems. We also handle roof replacement and roof installation. In addition to all of that, we can help with insurance claims. Our goal is to provide everything your roof needs.