It’s not hard to imagine how much damage a roof leak can cause, but preventing them from happening can be trickier than most people think. Simply keeping the roof clean won’t be enough to make sure your roof will stay leak-free all year round; you have to know what causes leaks and how to avoid them.
Holes in the roof surface
Although the outer surface of the roof is built for endurance, it doesn’t mean it’s completely invulnerable to damage. Different factors such as rust spots, rot, or even strong impact can put holes in your roof. Fortunately, this can easily be fixed by a roofing expert with a sealant or replacement tile.
Cracked flashing
Flashing are narrow strips of metal designed to form a watertight barrier. Wear and tear can cause the sealant used during installation to develop cracks, which can quickly lead to roof leaks. Roof experts can repair the crack by removing the old sealant and replacing it with a new coating, although severe cases may require installing newer flashing strips over the existing one.
Poorly sealed valleys
A valley is the part of the roof where two planes or faces of the roof come together at an inward angle. When it rains, plenty of water is channeled into the valley, which means it has to be properly sealed. Leaks around a roof valley can be caused by cracked sealant or wear and tear due to getting more water than the rest of the roof. In case a leak does show up, a roofer will usually add a new leak barrier on top of the valley, because simply reapplying sealant may not be enough.
Clogged gutters
Although technically no longer part of the roof, your home’s gutter system also has a role in keeping your roof leak-free. If a gutter gets clogged, all the water that gets channeled into it will not be able to flow straight to the downspout. Instead, it could seep through the sides of the trough and cause all sorts of damage from there.
Aside from asking for help from the pros, what else can you do to keep your roof leak-free? Find out in the last part of this 3-part blog series.