Your roof can develop a leak in as little as two years. Do you know what to do when you have a leaking roof?
Signs of Roof Leaks
Most people don’t know the common signs of a leaking roof. Being unaware of these signs leads to more damage within your roofing system. Here are several signs of a residential roof leak that help prevent more significant problems:
Water Damage On Your Ceiling or Walls
If there’s a leak in your home’s roof, you may start noticing water spots on your walls and ceilings. These spots typically look like brown stains with faint rings around the edges.
Water damage can occur in the center of your ceiling, but pay attention to spots in your corners or smaller spaces, as people typically overlook these areas.
Fallen or Broken Roof Shingles
Broken shingles are a common cause of leaking roofs. If you notice shingles falling off your roof, have a professional roofer inspect it for leaks.
Poorly installed shingles crack and let water into your home. Regularly inspect your roof or have a professional take a look at it so you can fix broken shingles and prevent further water damage.
Wall Growths on Your Home’s Exterior
Leaking roofs often lead to excess mold, moss, fungi, or algae on the outside of your home. These growths thrive in wet conditions, so if you notice them, there’s a chance your roof is leaking—especially if they’re located in sun-exposed areas of your home.
Water Dripping Into Your Attic
Water drippage in your attic is the most obvious indication of leaking roofs. Your attic is connected directly to your roof, so any water inside your attic means there’s a leak.
If this is happening in your attic, you need to contact a professional roofing contractor. Ignoring this problem will make it much worse in the future.
Roof Leak Repair
So, you’ve noticed your roof is leaking—now what? First, call a roofing contractor to complete the roof leak repair. In the meantime, there are several things you can do to mitigate the situation and prevent further damage:
Clear the Area Around the Leak
If you notice a leak, move furniture, clothing, and personal items out of the way of the leak. You don’t want your leaking roof to cause damage to your household items; after all, you’re already dealing with a leak!
Water damage can destroy clothing, antique furniture, and personal documents, so it’s in your best interest to move these things out of the way.
Relieve the Water Pressure in Your Roof
Water build-up creates bulges on your roof. To prevent the spot from getting more water build-up, poke a hole in the bubble. If the build-up is left alone, the water could spread and cause more damage to your roof and ceiling.
Use a screwdriver or a pair of scissors to relieve the water pressure, then catch the water with a bucket. This is a great way to minimize damage before getting your roof professionally fixed.
Cover Your Roof With Tarp
Covering your roof with a tarp until it’s fixed helps prevent more damage. Your tarp should be at least six millimeters thick and four feet across—and only do this when your roof is dry and safe to climb.
Simply cover the problem area and tuck the tarp under your shingles to keep more water from entering it.
Are you experiencing roof leaks in a heavy rain climate?
Contain the Water
Try to contain the water as much as possible with buckets, towels, or garbage cans. If water leaks into your home without anything to contain it, it can damage your floors.
Change out the containers whenever they get full, as overflow water damages your floor or belongings.
Using Preventative Maintenance
Many professional roofing companies offer preventative maintenance plans that keep your roof healthy and leak-free. Preventative maintenance includes:
- Regular roof inspections
- Silver coating
- Roof reflashing
- Shingle and siding replacement
- Metal flashing
With a plan like this in place, you’ll experience fewer leaks and other roofing issues. If you don’t get consistent roof maintenance, minor and inexpensive repairs turn into large and expensive projects—and sometimes entire roof replacement.
Where Can I Get Help With Roof Leak Repair and Maintenance?
If you need roof leak repair or want to set up a preventative maintenance plan, Seal Roofing can help. We create custom preventative plans to keep your roof safe from weather damage, leaking, and any other roofing issues.
Our professional team finds the source of leaks early on to keep your home from expensive damage.
We are FHA-certified and have over 30 years of experience protecting residential homes. You deserve a roof that lasts its entire lifespan—that’s why we treat every project with care and precision.
We provide our quality services to several local areas in Philadelphia, including:
- Bucks County
- Delaware County
- Montgomery County
- Southampton
- Bensalem
- Levittown
- Langhorne
Contact us today to fix your leaking roof or create a preventative maintenance plan!
About Us
Seal Roofing is a roofing contractor with a reputation for outstanding service, competitive pricing, and offering a full range of roofing services and solutions.
State Licenses:
PA – #PA025662
NJ – #1835498
DE – #2009603095
Contact Us
Serving the Philadelphia Metro Area
145 Rockledge Ave, Rockledge PA 19046
F: (215) 533-7409