subject: Tips to Repair Roof Leaks [print this page] Tips to Repair Roof Leaks Tips to Repair Roof Leaks
Water is always damaging if it finds its way through small cracks or loose tiles. Water can easily penetrate these cracked or loose tiles and cause severe damage to the roof lining underneath. It is vital to take necessary steps whenever you see a sign of water penetration in the roof.
The first thing you need to do in this regard is to look for the source of that leak. You cannot repair the leak until you find the source. So, you have to do some hard work in finding the real source of water leak in the roof. Some leaks require little work to repair while others require professional roofing contractor to repair the problem. Thoroughly examine the root cause of the leak and if you feel that it requires some professional work than contact your roofing contractor otherwise you can repair it on your own.
Plain Tiles
If the plain tile is broken or damaged, remove the one above it and break open the roofing nail. Take a new tile and replace it with a damaged tile carefully and secure it with the nail. Make sure that you use crowbar cover over the nail head before hammering it. It will prevent the new tile from damaging.
Slate Tiles
Slate tiles often slip out of place. You can easily repair them. To replace the slate, you have to remove the surrounding slates first in order to remove the damaged slate. Make certain that you will not harm the roofing material below. Place the replacement slate on its position and lined it up with the adjacent slates. Use nails to secure it and replace the surrounding slates as well.
Flat Felt Roof
Flat felt roof is more inclined to splitting and blistering. What you need to do is to take the retractable knife and cut across the blister carefully. Then, apply bitumen inside the hole. Now, you need to cut the roofing felt almost 5 cm (2 inches) bigger than the hole. Place this roofing felt on the hole and press it down to seal it against the bitumen. Later, use bitumen to seal the split and give it some ample time to dry.
Roof Flashing
Roof flashing is another option to repair the roof leak. If you find any loose nails on the roof, simply apply bitumen to seal the holes. If there are any signs of corrosion holes that are 2 cm wide, you can use roof flashing to patch these holes. You have to cut a piece from the roof flashing, comparatively larger than the hole. You have to roughen up the surface so that the bitumen properly sticks to it. Place the patch on the hole and seal it with the bitumen. Remember, if the damage done by the corrosion is severe, you need to replace the entire flashing.
Tips & Warnings
It is important to find the source of leak first. If you feel that you don't have the required skills and equipment to repair the leak, call for professional instead of further damaging the roof.
