Your roof protects your home and everything inside it, making a leak cause for concern. Taking the right steps can help you reduce water damage until you can have a professional handle the repairs. Water damage after a storm needs to be addressed so repairs can be made, and maintenance tips can be provided to prevent future leaks. If you notice a water-damaged area in your home, whether it’s your walls, ceilings or attic, you need to call a professional roofer right away. Interior water damage is almost always caused by a breakdown in the roofing system. The longer you wait, the more expensive the repairs will be. Roof leaks usually happen at the worst time. What are you supposed to do when your roof starts to leak? Nickerson Roofing offers some helpful tips below.
What is a Roof Emergency?
Even the most durable roofs are prone to damage and water infiltration will start as soon as a roof is compromised. That means you need a quick repair to prevent structural and interior damage. An emergency tarp will be placed over the area until the weather that caused the damage has passed. The damage will then be assessed, and a roof repair plan will be proposed. Emergency roof repair usually occurs when due to weather conditions, animal attacks or outbreaks of fire. Mother nature is the most common cause of roof damage. Winds over 50 mph are enough to tear shingles off a roof and expose the substrate. Branches from trees and lightning can damage your roof. Animals can chew through roofing material and create holes that water can seep into and fire can pretty much do anything it wants.
How Do You Stop & Repair a Roof Leak?
An emergency roof repair can be stressful, but not as stressful as what’s to come if you put off the repairs. While you might be able to create a temporary barrier to prevent further damage you should not try and do repairs yourself. Homeowners can’t properly assess the damage or take care of the repairs the right way. Create a temporary barrier carefully climbing on the roof using a ladder. If you can wait the storm out it will be safer as they roof can be slippery. Find the damaged area and place planks of wood wrapped with plastic over it. An experienced contractor will immediately map out a plan and remove any debris from your roof, cover the exposed area so your home stays dry until repairs can be made. Many homeowners take their roof for granted until a serious problem occurs. Water damage left untreated can be the perfect breeding ground for mold damaging floors, walls, insulation, you name it. This can end up costing hundreds to thousands of dollars in insurance.
Roof Repair, Replacement & More in Truckee, Mystic, Tahoe City, Kings Beach & The North Lake Tahoe Basin of California
When you find yourself dealing with a roofing emergency, try not to panic. There are people that can help.
Contact a professional roofing contractor at Nickerson Roofing for professional emergency roof repair services. We can also perform annual roof inspections to locate problem areas that might become an emergency situation in the future.