What You Need to Know About Roof Leaks

All homeowners have the same enemy when it comes to the roof. Leaks are those sneaky little demons that can hide and be next to impossible to detect. They usually begin at a roof’s most vulnerable spots—flashings, in valleys or eaves, or with damaged or missing shingles. Unfortunately, the water usually shows up far away from the point of origin after working its way through the roofing materials and down into the interior of the home.

If it’s possible, it’s best to trace the course of the water to its point of entry during a storm when the water is still flowing. Put something there to mark it—you might want to poke a nail in the spot or drive a wire up through it, to mark it, so that you can see it later. You’ll need to remember that the nail or wire that you use might be below the actual spot where the water is coming from. Here’s another important point. Once the rain stops, you will want to check the entire roof for weak spots.

Here’s a temporary repair that you can use until a more permanent solution can be found. Remember that roof leaks usually appear during storms when you can’t make permanent fixes, but you can take some steps to temporarily halt the flow of water. An emergency patch can be made by using a putty knife and a caulking gun to apply a special roof patch to the hole from the inside. Make sure to work the compound in roughly so that it adheres.

A temporary shingle is another solution, but you should replace the shingle as soon as possible. When the roof is dry, slide a two-foot square of galvanized sheet metal under the row of shingles above the missing or damaged one. There are also a few things you should know about gutters and downspouts.

If you find dry-rotted fascia boards, carve out the bad spots and fill them with a wood putty or replace the damaged section entirely. As well, you should tighten any loose gutter hangers and replace loose ones. Check that the downspout straps are secured to the walls and that the elbow connections are tight. To avoid water pooling at the foundation, the ground under the downspout must slope away from the house. You should also make sure that all grades of earth around the house slope away from the foundation to prevent water from pooling there.

You also need to look at the gutter troughs and clean them out by removing leaves, twigs, and other debris. Here you’ll want to make sure to protect your hands by wearing gloves since many different things can get caught up in the gutters. Loosen dirt with a stiff brush here and there, if possible, hose the entire course down with a garden hose. You can also clean a blocked downspout by feeding water through it with the hose.  

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