Roof leaks are a common problem in many older homes. Many of these problems seem to surface around spring time in the Northern US after the winter months. Although one might think that finding the cause of roof leaks is hard, this really is not the case.
The first step in finding a roof leak is to step on your roof and take a walk around visually inspecting the roof for anything that looks unusual. For example, are any shingles on your roof out of place? Torn shingles can often cause water problems.
One common area for roof leaks that should be examined is around the chimney. Often what happens is that the caulking around the chimney goes bad and breaks leaving small holes which allow water to see through the roof. One way to find problems around your chimney is to closely inspect the caulking. You can also take a hose and spray water around the chimney to see if anything looks unusual.
A second area on your roof that should be carefully examined is all shingled areas of the roof. Close inspection is important because one can often miss areas where a leak is occurring but which may not appear obvious with a quick inspection. You should closely inspect the shingles for cracks, missing pieces, or nail holes where a nail is no longer in place.
Although a homeown inspection is a good first step, if you think you may have a roof problem, you should call roofing professional to assess your situation. A roofing professional has the knowledge and expertise you do not have. They've seen hundreds of roofs in every condition imaginable and will pick up on a problem much faster than a homeowner.
When looking for roofing professional to call, you can use the Internet to search online or you can consult your yellow pages. Although not an absolute indication, when looking at yellow page ads, you should look for roofing companies that have the largest ads.
Companies with larger ads are often more successful. When searching online, take a close look at a roofer's website to assess how professional the site looks. A shoddy looking site is an indication that the work of the roofing professional may not be high quality.
Roof leaks can be detected with the proper approach. Do not let your roof leak problem get out of control. Use the proper inspection techniques and consider contacting a roofing professional.
