You want a safe home. You want a warm home. And of course, you want an energy-efficient home. Do you know what can help you achieve all of these goals? Your roof. That's right, if you call up a roofer and tell them about your desires, they can recommend some roofing repairs or materials to help you achieve those desires. They may recommend a metal roof, or they might recommend adding zinc strips to the roof peak. It all depends. One thing we can promise, though, is that learning more about roofing is a good idea. This blog is a good resource, but we recommend looking for other ones, too.
Repairing Roof Leaks On Your Home When You're Not Replacing The Roof
If the roof on your home has developed a leak but the asphalt shingles are still in good shape and well within the life of the material, you may need to hire a roofer to repair the leak for you. The repair is not overly complicated, and when it is done correctly, the repair will last until it is time to replace the roofing.
Roof Inspections
If you notice water coming into your home from the roof, you most likely have a leak that needs to be addressed before the water damages the wood structure of the house and the sheetrock or other materials inside the house. The first step is to have a roofer inspect the roof and the sheathing on the roof for damage and determine where the water is coming in.
The water may be leaking under a loose shingle and coming in around the nails or through a seam in the wood sheathing, or it may be coming in around some flashing on the roof that is loose or that is no longer sealed to the shingles properly. The roofer can often get some hints where the water is coming in after looking at the roof from the underside of the attic space.
Water stains on the wood or mold growing inside the home on the underside of the roof are often indications of a leak or standing water. If the water sits long enough, it will rot the wood structure, and the roof will need to be replaced.
Roof Repairs
Once the leak's location is determined, the roofer can go up on the roof and inspect the area to see what repairs need to be done. If the roof is relatively new, the roofer can carefully remove the leaking shingles and install new shingles to restore the seal on the roof.
Often shingles tear loose from the nails securing them but do not damage the felt paper underneath. Taking the shingle off carefully so that the paper is not damaged is essential. If the felt paper is torn, the roofer will need to cut a new piece and patch that as well.
If the leak is in an area with flashing installed, like near a pipe or in a valley, the roofer can typically reseal the flashing. The old sealer needs to be peeled off the roof and the flashing, and then a new coating of rubberized roof sealer can be applied. The roofer will need to ensure that all the flashing is covered and that there are no gaps around the flashing, or the roof may continue to leak.