DO You know Why Your Roof Leaks

Besides an annoying leak noise, roof leaks produce additional problems. They can generate mildew and mold in your house. Likewise, they will damage the roof cover and the attic insulation which increases your energy consumption costs.

Then, knowing the roof leaks’ causes allow us to act timely to prevent them. These causes will require the help of a professional roofing contractor.

In this sense, next, we will tell you the roof leaks’ common causes.

1. Loose, Rooting, or Broken Shingles: does your house roof have over 20 years installed? Then, it will probably show signs of aging. As deterioration advance, the shingles may detach and fall to the ground.

Permanently exposure to humidity, wind, and sun will weaken the external layers causing leaks. If this is your case, the most prudent you can do is to seek an inspection soon. Probably, your roof only will require minor repairing, which will represent a lower cost. If a professional does these repairs correctly, you will extend your roof life for some years more.

2. Roofing Nails Backing Out: It is not just aging shingles that can cause roof leaks. Over time, roof nails come off. These leaves small holes through the water filter inside your building. Usually, it occurs at the roof’s edge, where the water rain can enter pushed by the wind.

If inexperienced eyes check your roof, they will surely not perceive these small holes. But, if a professional roofer evaluates it, he will detect them.

3. Damaged or dislodged Flashing: the roof surface meets other vertical surfaces such as walls or dormers at many points. The flashing is a metal piece that protects these joints by preventing water from seeping through them.

If a strong wind rips one of these pieces away or they get damaged over time, it will be cracks in the roof, and water could enter through them. Therefore, repairing timely damaged flashing will also prevent roof leaks.

4. Cracked Rubber Boots: a “boot” is a rubber piece that works as a flashing. They protect the joints between the roof and any protruding element such as plumbing vents or chimneys. They are constantly receiving the climatic element’s impact, which will crack the rubber boot over time. So, periodically maintenance and replacing them timely will avoid you get roof leaks.

5. Low-quality materials: This is one of the main roof leaks’ causes. Low-quality materials often give misleading results or have a short, useful life.

The roof is an important surface for your family and home protection. Thus, you should invest in the best quality of roofing materials. Perhaps the investment will be high, but in the end, you will save a lot on maintenance and repairs.

Another common nailing issue is high nailing. As the name suggests, high nailing is a problem that occurs when the nails are wrongly placed higher than their designated places. The main issue with high nailing is that the dimensional shingles are a "two-ply" system. Now, if the shingles are not nailed properly, the bottom ply can rip off, causing leaks and other issues.

Most homeowners neglect the importance of leak barriers in the moisture-prone areas of their roofs. Make sure you have effective leak barriers installed around your skylights and in valleys for efficient protection against roof leaks.

These are the possible roof leaks’ causes. Are you seeing any of them on your roof?

Then, call today roofing experts like Alpha Roofing for repair and maintenance. We serve many areas in and near Largo and Tampa, FL.

Call Alpha Roofing at (318) 373-5875. We serve Bossier City, and Shreveport, LA.