What to Know Before Repairing a Roof Leak (and When to Call the Professionals)  

February 2, 2022

Proper roof maintenance is an essential step in caring for your home. By performing annual roof inspections and routine maintenance, you’ll greatly reduce the chance of significant damage, cut down on energy consumption, all while extending the life of your roof.

Some roof repairs you can do on your own without much experience, and yet other times it’s far better to bring in a professional. So before you bring out the ladder, let our staff here at Diversified Roofing fill you in on a few basic tips for inspecting a roof and also when it’s time to give the pros (like us) a call.

Clean Your Gutters

One of the best ways to not only prevent your roof from leaking, but to spot leaks in the early stages of development, is to clean your gutters. This should be done twice annually, depending on your home and the kind of vegetation cover you have around it.

A number of problems can arise from a dirty gutter. For starters, the collection of dead vegetation and other gunk can begin to weigh down the gutter, which in turn can cause it to begin pulling away from the roof.

Even before sagging occurs, the screws holding the gutters in place may begin to pull against the roof, which creates larger hole openings, allowing water to pass through.

Additionally, as gunk begins to collect it changes the way water passes through the gutters. This includes pushing back up into the underside of the roof, again causing damage following a heavy rain. You can avoid all of this by regularly cleaning your roof gutters.

Remove Debris Whenever Possible

Following a heavy rain or wind storm, some tree branches or other material might break off and fall onto your roof. Once the storm has passed you need to remove the debris as quickly as possible. The tree branches will place weight on the roof.

If your roof shingles are already on the older side they have started to become soft, and so any extra weight might eventually puncture the shingles, which makes it easier for the leaks to begin.

Also, if the debris remains on the roof it will start to break down and absorb water, which adds even more weight to the roof. Vegetation also draws animals and increases the chance of it catching more branches that fall during subsequent storms. So do what you can to keep your roof clean and free of debris.

Wait For Your Roof To Dry

For the go-getters out there, you might want to go out on your roof as soon as any kind of major storm has passed. You may also notice a roof leak in the middle of the storm. While we fully understand your desire to get up on the roof and try to pinpoint the problem as soon as possible, we want you to stay put.

It’s simply too dangerous to try to go out on the roof when it’s wet and raining. Some roofs can become incredibly slick while wet, which increases the chance of slipping and injuring yourself.

While roof repair is our passion, above all else we want to keep you safe. This means waiting for the storm to pass and for the roof to dry before considering an inspection.

What to Look For On Your Roof

So you’re ready to go up on your roof and perform an inspection. You need to know what to look for, because oftentimes a roof leak isn’t as obvious as it might seem. It’s usually not as simple as spotting a giant hole in the middle of the roof (if you do spot a giant hole you need to give us a call, because there are likely other problems at work).

You will want to watch your footing and look for shingles that are a different color. They might appear darker and wet, even if the roof is dry (another important reason why you should not inspect the roof when wet). If you spot any of these discolored shingles, or if the shingles are soft, these areas might be the culprit behind your leak.

You also need to spend time inspecting the edges of the roof and where the roof wraps around your chimney. Sometimes these are the weakest spots of the roof, and they are more likely to catch wind that might strike your home from the side.

When to Give Us A Call

For starters, don’t ever force yourself to go up on the roof and perform repairs yourself. If you feel uncomfortable in any way we are here to help. Many homeowners are not comfortable with going up on their roof, and that is perfectly fine. It is always better to be safe. So if you don’t feel completely safe inspecting your roof, let us know and we’ll come out to perform the inspection.

If you’re not exactly sure where the roof leak is coming from, give us a call. You don’t want to start throwing down patch shingles or ripping out other shingles from the roof because you think you’ve spotted the problem. It’s far too easy to cause more damage this way. So if you’re not sure where the leak is, give us a call and we’ll come out to perform the necessary repair.

If the leak is obvious and has come from a shingle that’s blown off, you can likely make this repair yourself. However, whenever you perform a repair, always make sure to check the leak following the repair. You need to make sure you’ve actually corrected the problem. If the leak is still damp, it means the leak is still there, and, again, it’s time to give us a call.

Schedule Your Roof Inspection Today

The best way to avoid any kind of roof leak is to schedule annual roof inspections. The harsh sun can cause shingles to become brittle and break, and the heavy monsoon rains may be too much for older roofs to protect against.

However, if you have your roof inspected annually, you can have damaged spots replaced before any kind of major damage occurs. If your roof has sustained damage, or if you’ve noticed a roof leak, now is the time to schedule your roof inspection and repair.

Our team of roofing experts will repair your roof and provide you with all the information you need to make an educated decision on when you should replace the roof. Have all your questions answered today by giving us a call here at Diversified Roofing.