How To Handle A Leaky Roof
Finding out where a leak is on
your roof isn’t always as easy as it
would appear to be. When trying to
locate a leak, use the following
guidelines to assist you. NOTE:
whenever you see the words "the leak
area," it refers to an area within a
10 foot (3 meter) diameter of the
leak.
Flat or Low-Slope Roofs
Inspect any roof drains near the
leak area. If they are plugged or
draining slowly, then there is a
strong chance that they are the
reason for the leaks. Drains are
rarely waterproof if they are
plugged. They are generally designed
and constructed for water to flow in
one direction only...down.
Inspect any material seams in the
area of the leak. Just because
you see "tar" or adhesive sticking
out under a lap, it doesn’t mean
that the material is adhered
properly. Take a flat blade about 2
inches (5 cm) long (like a
pocketknife blade), and gently run
it along under the lap. If it slides
in more than 1 inch (2.5 cm), then
the seam should be sealed. If it
slides in for the length of the 2
inch blade, it’s a good suspect for
a leak.
Look carefully at all
penetrations for signs of problems.
Problems include holes in the metal
flashings, shrunken pitch pan
filler, deteriorated caulking,
curled flashing flanges that are
sticking up through the roof
membrane, or any other visible
defects.
Look for blisters that have been
punctured.
Look closely at expansion joint
seams. These are often faulty.
Check for splits in the area. Do
this by walking the area with your
feet close together and taking many
small steps, turning in all
directions. If there is a split,
you’ll see the roof separate between
your feet.
If the leak occurs near the edge of
the building, check the edge metal.
It can separate at the seams and
tear the roof membrane in the
process.
Check under debris. A lot
times, if debris has been sitting on
a roof for a long period of time,
then it can hold water which will
expedite roof deterioration. Bird,
rodent, and other vermin nests have
been found under piles of debris on
roofs.
If you get a freak rain storm that
dumps horrendous amounts of water on
your roof in a short period of time,
and all of a sudden you have half a
dozen leaks where before there were
none, don’t get overly excited. Most
roofs are not designed or
constructed to handle that much
water all at once.
If you are looking for a roofing
company from the Bay to the Central
Valley, please
call us today for our 17 Point Roof
Inspection at 800-639-7663 or
click on the link below:
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