A leaking roof can be a problem which can affect your household massively especially if your roof no longer acts a good protector against the weather. Leaks can be caused by rotting wood within the beams of the wood or mould on the insulation. Our roof repairs Bristol services at BBN can help you with the simplest of roof repairs to any complex job.
One of the signs of having a leak in the roof of your house can be water stains appearing across the ceilings or walls of your house. Finding where the leak is coming from is the hard part, whereas repairing the roof is usually a simple task. Rooves should be repaired immediately when a problem is spotted, even if it is not a big problem or you are installing a new roof next year. This is because small leaks can lead to bigger problems if ignored. Examples of these problems are mould, rotted timber framing, destroyed insulation and damaged ceilings.
Tracking the source of the leak
You should start by looking at the roof uphill from the stains on the ceiling or walls. The first thing to look for is any signs of roof penetrations, which is the most common source of leaks within a household roof. It is rare for a leak to occur in a roof which had been undamaged, even on older roofs. Penetrations that can cause a leak are plumbing, roof vents, chimneys or anything else that projects through the roof.
Having access to an attic is the easiest way to look for a source of a leak. Going up with a torch and looking for any signs of damage, such as water stains, black marks or mould. If the attic space of the house is a ceiling, someone will need to go up onto the roof to examine it.
If a leak is difficult to find, going to the roof with a garden hose and soak the area above where the leak is showing in the house. A helper would need to stay inside the house, letting you know when the drips appear. Once a location has been identified, the shingles will need to be removed in that area. There will then be evidence of the leak and you’ll be able to track the source.
Solutions for types of leaks
There are many factors that could cause a leak within your home. These are some examples of different scenarios that could happen to your home, that would need to eb resolved with roof repairs bristol.
A leak caused by condensed cold nails due to moisture can be solved by simply clipping the nail with side-cutting pliers.
Damaged plumbing vent boots causes leaks within the home. Simply replacing the old boot with a new one and installing it properly should solve this problem.
Checks
Checking roof vents to be a source of a leak is very important if you have one. The plastic ones may have cracked housing, whereas metal vents may have a broken seam. The easiest fix is to replace the vent entirely, making sure it is installed correctly to prevent further water damage to the household.
Dormer walls provide a lot of spots on the roof where water can dribble down and enter the roof. Caulk can be old or cracked between corner boards and windows, which water makes it way into and therefore into the house. Caulk should be replaced to prevent future leaks.
Ice and Snow
A more complex roof problem may occur in icy climates where the roof of the house is often covered in snow and ice. An ice dam can form in the roof, which is when snow melts and the water freezes when it hits the edges of the roof. Eventually, water forms a pool behind the dam and works its way back up under the shingles and under the soffit until it finds an opening through the roof. The shingles would need to be removed down to the timber layer in the roof and an ice and water barrier layer installed. If the dams continue to occur, installing roofing edge heating cables could be a solution. Improved attic insulation and ventilation is the best way to prevent ice dams from occurring.
Our services at Bristol Builders Network for roof repairs bristol are guarenteed to solve the problem of the leak in your home.