How Do You Fix a Leaky Roof?

The pitter-patter sound of rain outside is nothing short of relaxing. But, hear water falling inside your home? Not so much. When you have a leaky roof, time is of the essence, so it’s crucial to take the right actions immediately. 

Storms, flooding, and even small leaks can turn into expensive messes if not fixed, so make sure you’re prepared at the first sign of a leak by reading through this blog post. No matter what kind of roofing issue you have, our experts at Larry Haight’s Residential Roofing Company are here to help guide you through repair or replacement services with ease.

To learn more about how we can help you, please call 425-881-9771 or contact us online.

Immediate Steps to Take When You Have a Leaky Roof

When you first notice that your roof has a leak, follow these steps to help manage the situation and prevent more extensive––and expensive––damage. 

Contain the Leak as Much as Possible 

Most importantly, you want to prevent the spread of water damage as quickly as possible. Use buckets or other containers to capture the water and put down towels to help reduce the impact of the damage to your floors. 

Cover or Move Important Items in Your Home

You’ll also want to prevent as much damage to your belongings as possible. To do this, move furniture out of the affected areas, and use a tarp to cover precious items from excess water damage. 

Tarp the Roof

If you’re not able to fix your leaky roof right away, you might want to add a tarp to the roof to prevent rainwater from coming inside until the repairs. However, you should have a professional do this due rooftop safety hazards. Instead of risking your health and safety, you can hire Larry Haight to install tarp on your roof. If you’re planning a roof replacement, we will tarp your roof for no additional cost!

Take Photos of the Damage

Once you have the leak contained, try to take as many photographs of the damage as you can. By documenting the extent of the damage, it will be easier to submit your eventual insurance claim. 

Call a Roofing Expert

Perhaps the most important step to take in the event of a leaky roof is calling an expert who specializes in leaky roof repair services. Our crew at Larry Haight’s Residential Roofing will come to your home, inspect the damage, and develop a repair plan. While workers typical cannot do roofing work in the rain, there are exceptions for emergencies.

How Do You Fix a Leaky Roof? You Call an Expert for Help!

The simple fact of the matter is that fixing a leaky roof on your own is very dangerous. You not only risk injury to yourself, but you might also cause more damage to your home. Instead of attempting to fix your leaking roof, trust an experienced roofing contractor for the job. 

When you do, we’ll take the following steps to bring your roof back to good working order. 

Locate the Leak

First up, we’ll inspect your roof to identify the source of the leak so we know what areas need repair. Your leak could be from damaged areas of plywood roof decking, so we’ll do a thorough inspection to see what’s happening.

Remove and Replace Damaged Shingles

If we notice that the leak is coming through your damaged roof decking, we’ll have to remove the shingles in the surrounding area to get access to the decking. Once we do, we’ll inspect and repair the decking before putting in a new roof deck patch. Once the damage is fixed, we’ll put down the underlayment and install the new shingles. 

Examine the Roof Vents

Roof vents are another common source of roof leaks. If your leak doesn’t appear to be coming from your decking, we’ll examine the vents to see if there are any cracks, dislodged nails, etc., causing the leak.

Remove and Replace Damaged Vents

If we determine that a roof vent is the source of the damage, we’ll remove it, pulling back the shingles at the base of it. After removing it, we’ll replace it with a new vent, securing it to help prevent future leaks. 

Stay Safe When Your Roof Is Leaking

Safety should always be your top priority when dealing with a leaky roof. That means leaving the repair work to an expert. We hope that after reading this guide, you feel more prepared about the steps to take when your roof is leaking to help minimize the damage as much as possible. If you have a roofing emergency, please don’t hesitate to call 425-881-9771 or contact us online for assistance.