If you live in an area with heavy precipitation throughout the year, you need to have a roof that is as watertight as possible to prevent water damage in your home.
Prevention is the best cure for roof leaks because leaks tend to get worse quickly and often cause a lot of damage in a home before they are detected.
The following are six things you can do to prevent leaks in your home by making your roof as watertight as possible.
1. Prevent Gutter Clogs
One of the most common causes of roof leaks is pooling water on portions of the roof. If gutters become clogged, pooling water becomes very likely because the water that gutters collect has nowhere to go.
Fortunately, you can easily prevent clogged gutters by cleaning leaves and needles out of gutters in the late fall.
2. Inspect and Repair Flashing
Flashing is a layer of impervious material like metal or plastic that is worked into roof designs to prevent water penetration. While flashing is generally an effective means of weatherproofing a roof, it can become worn or damaged over time and develop perforations that allow water penetration. Have a roofer inspect your flashing periodically and repair any damage promptly to prevent water from seeping underneath your roof’s surface.
3. Replace Cracked Vent Boots
Vents on your roof and underneath your eaves serve an important purpose by circulating air into your home. However, the hardware and roof surfaces around vents are sometimes susceptible to leak development due to openings around the vent itself and the hardware that surrounds it. For example, vent boots around roof vents can become cracked over time and require replacement to avoid water penetration. Make sure that your roofer looks at vent boots as part of regular roof inspections to catch potential leaks.
4. Replace Shingles That Are Damaged or Loose
If you have a shingle roof, you need to keep an eye on your shingles. Like any other roof component, shingles can become weakened or worn over time and require replacement. Shingle inspection is especially important after a severe storm because strong winds can blow shingles loose. Look for shingles that are cracked, dimpled, or broken. If you notice any irregularities in your shingles, have a roofer inspect them promptly and repair as necessary to maintain watertightness.
5. Clean Roof Surfaces Periodically
Any type of debris left on your roof for extended periods of time could potentially cause a leak to develop. If you live in a wooded area, you probably have to deal with leaves, needles, branches, and other debris falling onto your roof throughout the year. Vegetation that falls onto a roof could hold moisture against the roof surface so that the roof is prone to leaks. Also, vegetation and other debris can attract pests to a roof that can cause perforations in roof materials through nest building and other potentially destructive activities.
6. Seal Holes Around Hardware
Whenever any work is done on your roof, hardware such as screws and nails typically need to be driven into your roof. Hardware pieces often create leak problems because they pierce small holes in a roof.
You need to seal up any hardware holes on your roof with a substance like caulking or liquid rubber where necessary. Sealing holes around hardware not only helps to prevent leaks but also increases the life span of hardware pieces and prevents them from coming loose.
If you’re concerned about moisture control and leak development in your roof, contact us at Rainy Day Exteriors. We will recommend precautionary measures to stop precipitation from penetrating your home.