If you haven’t checked on your roof recently, now may be a good time to do it. Leaks are extremely frustrating and can cause a lot of interior damage, so it is best to catch them early on whenever possible. Here are three ways you can locate a roof leak and what you can do once it is located:
- Inspect the Attic
On a rainy day, take a flashlight up to the attic. The water will reflect in the light, allowing you to find leaks relatively quickly if there are any. If you have a leak, make sure to mark it with a pencil, pen or sharpie.
As soon as it stops raining, get a partner to help you with this next step. One person needs to go into the attic while the other gets on top of the roof. The person in the attic will tap on the marked area while the person on the roof finds the exterior problem causing the leak so that it can be repaired, such as missing shingles, damaged flashing, etc.
- Check the Roof Ridge
Every roof has a roof ridge, which is the highest point of a roof and a common place for leaks to occur. The reason that leaks tend to occur here is because they are either installed incorrectly are shingles are torn off during storms.
You should perform both an interior and exterior inspection. When the ridge leaks, you may notice water leaking from the rafters inside your attic. You may also notice light entering the attic. Outside, make sure that all shingles, the ridge cap, and fasteners are all intact.
- Inspect the Flashing
Those thin pieces of metal on your roof, also known as flashing, tend to be a source of roof leaks. Two of the most common reasons flashing leaks is due to tar corroding or the flashing cracking, so check for these types of problems. Usually, you will need to simply replace the damaged flashing with new flashing and add a coat of roofing sealant over the nail heads.
If you are worried about your roof having a leak and would prefer not to get on top of your roof yourself, contact C and K Roofing for a roof inspection.