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Fixing A Leak In Your Roof
If you suspect your roof is leaking, the sooner you take care of it, the better. The most effective method of dealing with a leaking roof is to have a professional roofer find the source of the problem and take care of it. If you are not in a rush, you could try to repair the leak yourself with the following suggestion. At the very least, it helps to familiarize yourself with what your roofer will do to get to the source of the leak and stop it in its tracks and contact a roofer for a quote on repairs.
What To Know About Leaks
In addition to the most obvious sign of a leak, dripping water, you should be on the lookout for water stains running the down the walls or across your ceiling. You should always fix a leaky roof as soon as possible since small leaks can grow in size and lead to mold or rotting framing and other materials in a short amount of time.
Finding The Leak
In many cases, the hardest part of fixing a leak in your roof is finding the source of the leak. Start by going to the stains on the roof and looking uphill from there. You should look for anything that penetrated the roof, such as a chimney, roof or plumbing vent, or dormer. These items may be left or right of the leak or above it. If you can go in your attic, do so and follow the water stains, mold, or black marks to narrow down the leaking location.
If you cannot find the leak with those methods, go onto the roof with a hose and have someone stand inside. Start low and begin getting the spot right above the leak’s in-house appearance wet. Just get a single section wet at a time and have your helper let you know if there is a drip inside. This will be a time-consuming process so be prepared.
Repairing Easy Leaks
A common small leak cause is a “shiner,” which is a nail that is not in the right framing member. You can resolve these leaks just by clipping the nail using side-cutting pliers. If the leak is by a plumbing vent boot that is torn or rotted, just replace the vent boot. Sometimes, the vent boot will be fine and you just need to replace the nails with rubber-washered screws. In the case of cracked roof vents, you will need to replace the vent. As with vent boots, you can replace missing nails that cause leaks with rubber-washered screws. In the case of leaks along your dormers or walls, the solution may be as simple as removing old caulk and replacing it with new, high-quality caulk and replacing damaged siding.
More Serious Leaks
You will not always be lucky enough to have a simple solution for the leak. Poor flashing, for example, may cause leaks during summer storms and winter snows. In this case, you will need to replace the flashing, which requires removing the shingles to access it. In the case of more serious leaks like this, you should consider hiring a professional unless you have roofing experience of your own.
There are no published blog posts yet.Know These Things Before Installing A Skylight On Your Roof
Installing a skylight is an excellent method of improving natural light in your home and boosting its value. Skylights add luxury to the space and can help you save on energy bills by reducing the amount of time that you need to leave lights on. To get the most from your skylight, however, you need to know a few things before installing this component on your roof, and you can always consult a professional.
That Your Roofers Are Reputable
Because skylights get integrated into the roof, they are typically installed by roofing contractors. Before installing a skylight, make sure that the roofers you select are reputable, which is something you should be doing before any roofing project. Mistakes made during installation of a skylight can be costly, especially if there are gaps left between the light and the adjoining roof.
How To Control Moisture
Any time that an object penetrates your roof, whether it is a skylight or a chimney, there will be concerns about leaks if the installation and flashing are not completed correctly. To minimize the risk of leaks, ensure that the skylight gets installed above your roof’s surface with a minimum of a 2x6-inch curb. Using quality flashing that fits the curb width as well as 1-inch above its height, then bend it and allow a quarter-inch for step flashing if necessary. Of course, moisture control will be taken care of via following the manufacturer’s instructions for maintenance.
Do You Want Deck-Mounted Or Curb Mounted?
Before you get too far along in the planning for your skylight installation, figure out if you want a deck-mounted or curb-mounted skylight. Deck-mounted skylights tend to have a lower profile since they do not have a box underneath; instead, they hug the roof and are more efficient in terms of energy. By contrast, curb-mounted skylights are the more traditional option and need a box structure that the unit sets on. While they do need an extra structure, the convenience is that you do not need to re-flash your skylight if you replace it and the box structure’s flashing is still functional.
The Ideal Placement
You should also take the time to consider the proper placement for the skylight so that you maximize your benefit. The slope of your skylight will impact the amount of solar heat that your home absorbs. Because of this, you need to work with your roofing contractor not only to determine where to place the skylight but also the angle to orient it at. The placement will depend somewhat on rafter placement in your home, somewhat on personal preference, and on other factors.
How To Resolve A Leak
You should also have a good idea of how you will resolve a leak if one does develop at some point after installing your skylight. There are multiple methods for resolving this issue, including installing new weather stripping, fully replacing the metal flashing, using silicone tubing to seal holes or gaps in the skylight’s lens, or sealing flashing gaps with roofing cement.
Before you decide on installing a skylight, make sure to consult experts like those at Transcendent Roofing to make sure that your roof can support it and to see if there are any other special considerations to take into account.
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