Just when you thought the leak in your roof was repaired all of a sudden the leak reappears. You know something has to be done. What could cause this to happen and where should you start to look? The causes are innumerable and could be just about anything. The trick is finding the origin of the leak and eliminating it. Here’s what could be wrong.
Process of Elimination
Foremost, the process of elimination is the first route to take. Go back to the place of the original leak and branch out from there. It’s apparent that the leak is coming from a non-obvious, invisible or hidden source. Leaks can come from defects that include holes, missing or damaged shingles, seals and the wrong connections between the roof and penetrations, such as roof vents, utility pipes, satellite dishes, and other roof protrusions.
Roof Replacement
Another suggestion is to replace the roof in the area where the leak occurs. This could be very expensive as windows and walls and other areas of the roof near the leak might be involved.
Shingle Tears or Holes
A tear or hole underneath a shingle that would require taking each and every shingle out of its place to see if there is damage to it. Having previously eliminated the obvious, additional and more complicated investigative work needs to be done to find the source, and to repair it.
Roofing Specialists
You’ll want to speak with the person or persons who originally worked on the roof and stopped the leak the first time around. That’s who you’ll want to work with to resolve the problem leak. Whatever caused the leak to reappear, is driving you crazy and you think to yourself, it’s imperative that I find residential roof repair near me as I have to get this leak fixed right away.
Misdiagnosis of Original Leak
The original leak may have been misdiagnosed. There are probably other leaks in the roof that made for the present leakage despite any other leaks being repaired. It takes lots of investigation to find every break in your roof system. The water could come from somewhere unrelated to the roof.
Material Use
When you started the process, did you agree with purchasing cheaper materials to fix the problem? Were the flashings old and used again? Did you do the work yourself or did you hire quality roofing services to complete the work?
House Settling
When your home is older and no longer in the same place, this action places stress on your roof. Settling can cause components of a house to crack. This action offsets any previous repair work that has been done. Leaks can happen with this kind of movement.
Multiple Roof Systems
Leaks involving multiple roof systems can be a real problem when it comes to moisture accumulation. Water can travel a long way when two or more roof systems are in place. The roof that lies underneath could have little to no outlet for water to pass through it for several hundred feet. This makes pinpointing a leak difficult.
Leak Detection Tools
When all other ways to detect pesky leaks have been exhausted, there are a few tools that can help in the search.
Spray Rack – A controlled water spray can help to isolate certain areas on a roof such as the surface, ducts and curbs. The entire process starts at the low points and moves upward until the leak is found.
Roof Moisture Scans – If there is moisture trapped within a roof system, an infrared scan can help point out moisture. With the sun beating down on a roof, the areas that hold in moisture will retain heat longer. The heat shows itself as hot spots on the imaging device and will reveal leaks.
Moisture Meter – A moisture meter detects moisture in two different ways, either by pins or sensors that get to the roof’s surface.
Roof Access
If you have regular access to your roof by others particularly HVAC personnel, you might want to think about installing walk pads or a walkway on your rooftop to prevent damage and the possibility of leaks especially with a loose-laid membrane roof (ballast).
Other Sources
Think about all the areas on your roof where leaks could occur like around skylights, sewer pipes, valleys and chimneys. These areas are fairly inexpensive to fix, but can be tricky to work on at the same time.
Roof Maintenance
Many leaks can be avoided simply through time dedicated to roof maintenance. Regular upkeep can stop drawn out investigations for leaks, plus it’s not that expensive to schedule roof
inspections. Your troubles can be pretty much eliminated with roof maintenance.
Actually repairing a leak is easy. It’s finding the leak that’s the hard part and involves the long or hopefully short process of elimination. Whether you have an unending leak or just need roofing information, complete the online contact form and a representative will get back to you with answers to questions you may have.
