What Should I Do If My Roof Is Leaking?

You should act immediately if you are at home and observe your roof leaking. Water damage is very dangerous as it can affect several things inside your home, from your roof to the structure and home appliances. 

Do not ignore this issue, as roof leaks aren’t normal, and you should find out right away why it occurs and if there is any other damage to your home. You should contact a roof repair contractor right away to fix the issue. However, until they arrive, here is what you should do:

Contain the Water

Grab all the buckets necessary, trash cans, towels, or any containers, and place them where the water is leaking to contain it. You should do this to avoid floor damage or damage to your other belongings, such as your clothes, bed, and furniture. 

Apart from this, keep electrical devices and outlet extenders as far away from the water as possible. Keep some containers close by to replace the ones that will be filled. The key here is to minimize the damage as much as possible until the issue is fixed. 

In some instances, when water leakage is severe, you might observe bulges hanging out of your ceilings. Those areas are where water is contained the most, but you should intervene because if it reaches a certain point, it could erupt on its own and create a big mess, or the water might spread to other parts of your ceiling and damage it.

Grab something such as a screwdriver and try to poke the peak of the bulge, but be ready for the spill. Prepare the area below for what is to come, and don’t stand underneath the bulge. If one puncture isn’t enough, you might need to make more to release the water.

Cover the Area With Tarp

In some instances, you might not get help immediately to fix your roof leaking problems. In this case, you can use a tarp to cover the problematic areas. Use the leak inside to determine where the problem is outside, but don’t climb your roof if you aren’t used to it or if it’s raining.

Take Photos

It’s very important to have photos of the leaking issues for your roofing contractor and your insurance company. Documenting your damages can help you file a home insurance claim if it is eligible. 

However, don’t focus only on the leakage coming from the roof. Take pictures of the other damaged items inside your household because your insurance might cover that as well.

Ensure Roof Maintenance 

Although a professional roofer will come to your home to help you fix or repair your roof, that won’t be the end of it. Leaking issues aren’t normal, and you should periodically do roof maintenance once or twice a year. 

The roofing contractor will let you know exactly why your roof was leaking. In most instances, a lack of roof maintenance is the issue, so to avoid this in the future, take care of your roof and don’t ignore it in the future.

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