Those Who Build the Buildings

How A Roof Repair Contractor Can Find A Leak Or Moisture Damage And Repair It

7 June 2023

Ashley Hart

It's important to fix a roof leak as soon as possible so your roof doesn't rot. However, it can be challenging to find a roof leak in some cases if damage to shingles isn't obvious. In addition to finding the hole where rain is leaking in, it's important to find all areas of water damage so the damage can be assessed and repaired if needed. Here's how a roofer may go about finding a roof leak and making roof repairs.

Ways To Find A Leak And Water Damage

The roof repair contractor will probably look in your home and attic for signs of water damage on the ceiling. This might show up as dark or yellow areas where the wood or drywall is wet. The roofer can also use a thermal camera inside your house to look for wet areas that are hidden.

Even if your ceiling doesn't have water stains yet, the roofer may detect moisture if it's present since moisture will often show up on a camera as a different color from dry areas. This helps the roofer find all areas of moisture damage besides just the point of the leak since rain can roll down the roof or drop in your attic and flow some distance and create moisture damage far from the hole.

A roof repair contractor might also use a moisture meter. These can be used up on the roof to detect wet areas underneath shingles so leaks and water damage can be found without having to lift up shingles just to look around.

Roof Repairs That Could Be Needed For A Leak

Sealing the hole is an important first step. If there isn't much water damage to the deck, patching or sealing the hole and replacing the underlayment and shingle above it may be the only roof repair needed. If there is a trail of moisture damage down the roof, the roofer might need to repair the deck under the shingles.

If the deck is already rotting and feels like it's sagging, then the old plywood needs to come off so a new section of the deck can be patched in. This also requires removing the underlayment and shingles over the wet area and replacing them with new materials when the new deck is put on. Sometimes, a leak occurs around the chimney or skylight flashing. When this happens, the roof repair contractor may need to pull the old flashing off and put new flashing on.

They can use new flashing pieces or use sheet metal and bend or cut it to the shape needed to make the flashing. If the old flashing is leaking because it came loose but is still in good condition, the roofer may not need to replace it. They can apply caulk around it to keep water out or put adhesive under it to secure the metal to the roof.

For more information, reach out to a roof repair service near you.

Share