How To Stop A Roof Leak In The Rain

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It’s really coming down out there. The rain is hitting the roof so hard that you quickly discover moisture on the ceiling and water dripping to the floor or carpet underneath. Leaks can be seriously damaging, leading to significant water damage and subsequent mold and mildew growth.

You grab a pan or bucket to place under the leak and catch the drops but that’s not solving the problem. It’s only extending the potential for long-term damage and if you don’t fix the issue it’s only going to get worse.

But you don’t know when the rain is going to subside and you better act fast to prevent the leak from deteriorating further. Puddles can develop and hardwood will warp under too much water. All of these can cost a pretty penny to repair if you decide to wait after it stops raining.

The time to act is now, though you may be wondering how you can possibly stop the roof from leaking while standing outside in a downpour. The key here is that you’re not even going to set foot outside and you’re certainly not going to get up on the roof in this weather. It’s far too dangerous to be up there the middle of a storm.

The trick is to inspect and diagnose that leak from the inside. Just follow theseroof repair tipscourtesy of your friends at Richmond Roofing.

Act Fast

Water can be a blessing and curse all at the same time. While it provides us with essential life-sustaining qualities for our survival, it can also be a destructive force when left unchecked. As a leak is developing in your roof, hard rain and the water that collects in various nooks and crannies in the roof can start to take a serious toll.

Even small amounts of water moving through a compromised area of your roof can make the initial vulnerability that much bigger and wider. The result is more water coming in and a lot quicker. In an effort to avoid this from happening, you need to act fast to prevent the leak from causing further damage.

That water might be drip drip dripping to the floor but consider the other areas it might be seeping into as well. It is most likely leaking in from the roof above and spreading into your walls, your insulation, and other areas that can be nearly impossible to reach. But if you allow moisture to permeate those areas, you will easily find yourself paying a professional to clean out mold and mildew and replace damaged components of the structure.

Simply put, the longer you allow the leak to occur, the more expensive it can be to repair or even replace the affected materials. So, with that in mind, you should consider springing to action now and that means replacing your leaking roof in the rain.

Fixing the Issue Fast

Forget about the ladder to the roof, you’re going to need to take alternative measures for stopping your leak and keeping your home safe from water damage.

While you’re working you should place a suitable receptacle under the dripping water so that it doesn’t collect on your carpet or hardwood flooring. Once you’ve got it under control then you can get to work.

Look in Your Attic

If there’s a huge wet spot on your ceiling, the water is most definitely leaking through your roof. You’re going to have to take a look in the attic to see if you can determine where the water is coming from and that’s going to require some elbow grease.

Begin by searching for any pools or puddles that have collected in and around the insulation. That’s going to require you to pull it back from the drywall and locate any excess moisture. In the event you do come across water dropping through to the floors below, you will need to absorb it all as fast as you can.

When you are up there working, be sure to mind your step and be selective about where you place your equipment. One bad step or poorly placed tool, you could rive a serious hole and crash through the sheetrock.

Locate the Compromised Area

This might take some time but you need to explore the attic in order to diagnose where water is leaking in from the outside. You may see water running or sluicing along a wall or overhead, but this can be deceptive due to the way that roofs tend to angle downward.

Water can move and change direction in ways you may not expect. So check the rafters and beams, the insulation, everywhere you can see think to examine to quickly locate the source of the water coming into the house.

Stop the Leak

Once you find the crack or tear in the roof above or the drywall just below, you will need some sort of material with which to plug the compromised area for the time being. You might try plywood, a spare shingle, even roofing tar or a similar compound to apply to the crack. But whatever you decide on, be sure that it is sturdy enough to stand up to the water that is coming through.

You don’t want your patch coming apart or falling off just to let the water seeping back in all over again. Stop the leak fast but remember that it’s only meant to be a temporary solution just until the rain stops coming down. Once it’s dry out, you’ll need to fix this problem properly.

Remember the Repair

Now that the rain has ended, you are going to need to finally get up on the roof. You may want to wait until everything has dried thoroughly. Once the roof is suitable for walking upon, you will go up there and fix the problem for good.

That means measuring the area on the inside with measuring tape. Take the proper measurements from inside and relate the location to certain spots in the attic. When you get out on the roof, you’ll need those measurements in order to identify where the leak is located outside.

After you find it, patch it up with your preferred materials and you’ll be ready to weather the next storm that hits down the line.