Reasons for Roof Leaks & Solutions

Roofs may leak even when you don’t have to get the bucket to prevent water from landing in your living room. Some ceiling and wall discolorations here and some small pools of water in the attic are often indications that your roof leaks. This may happen for all sorts of reasons, and not necessarily when the roof is aged.

Roofs may leak if they are installed incorrectly or bad quality materials are used. They may also leak if they don’t resist impact and so get damaged during a windy day, a heavy storm, a hurricane, etc. Here you get a more spherical perspective of what may have gone wrong and roofs leak, and also the best solutions.

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Roof damage

All roofing types are prone to damage at some point. Taken that most houses have shingles, let us just say that eventually, shingles wear. They put up with the contraction and expansion based on the temps for years and then, they become brittle. It takes one storm to break the most worn shingles and then the countdown for the roof leak begins. Simply put, shingles may crack, break, and blow off, and thus water can easily seep into the decking.

The solution: It depends on the exact problem, but there’ll be a need for roof repair. Missing shingles or broken shingles should be replaced with new ones.

Flashing damage

Flashing is thin pieces of metal that are placed on joints to protect from water. They are usually found around chimneys, vents, etc. And they become the barrier against water intrusion. If the flashing breaks or even cracks, water will easily find its way in.

The solution: New flashing must be installed.

Clogged gutters

Gutters should help water channeled away from the home but they often fail to do so when they are filled with leaves, debris, and other elements. Then water stops traveling in the right direction and tries to find other ways to escape. Rainwater usually leaks through windows, pools on the roof, and stresses the gutters.

The solution: it’s gutter cleaning. All these elements that keep water from traveling must be removed as soon as possible.

Ice damming

Ice damming is a phenomenon of melting snow refreezing again when it reaches the edge of the roof. This happens when there’s no or poor attic ventilation and the eaves of the roof are colder than the plane. Ice dams cause many problems. They put a lot of strain on the edge parts of the roof and also keep the roof wet for a longer time, affecting the lifespan of the shingles and threatening to enter into the house.

The solution: ice dams must be melted down as quickly as possible. You can also break parts of the ice dams with roof rakes. If you like more permanent solutions, hire a pro to add attic ventilation.

Valley problems

The valleys are V-shaped metal channels placed where two planes of a roof meet. Their sloped position allows rainwater to slide with ease. But if there’s a hole, crack, or any damage at all, water will enter the house. If they are not sealed well, water will still find its way in.

The solution: The roofers usually have to replace the valleys.

Broken vent booting

Roof vents are the elements that stick to the air like pipes. Thanks to these vents, the indoor moisture is minimized. How will these roof vents cause leaks? The roofing companies use flashing as a sealant but also a vent boot, which is often made of rubber, metal, or plastic, to waterproof the junction of the pipe and the roof. When the vent boot cracks and breaks, water comes in.

The solution: you need a roofing contractor to replace this gasket with a new one, but also check the condition of the flashing.