If you have ever dealt with a leaky roof, you know how much it can ruin your day. Not only does it give you a new home repair project to deal with, but it can also cause damage to your furniture, carpet, or even your home’s interior structure. If you wake up and see the telltale signs of a roof leak, the most important thing you can do is go into immediate damage control. A temporary fix won’t get you very far, but it can help you to avoid more costly damage.
Important First Steps
When you have an active leak, you need to move quickly. Before you do anything else, you need to clear out the area where the water is leaking. Move anything that can get easily damaged by water (such as books and electronics) out of the room and into a safe place until you can seal the leak.
You also need to clear out any furniture under the drip to prevent water damage. The constant flow of water can warp wood or soak through a sofa, so be sure to act quickly. If you have any carpeting, it might be a good idea to pull it up and leave the underside exposed to open air. With any kind of water damage, mold will be a serious concern. By moving your furniture and pulling up the carpet, you’ll be able to dry out anything that could be susceptible to mold.
Once you have cleared the area, you can work on containing the water itself. This isn’t exactly a temporary fix for a leaking roof, but it’s still an important step in controlling the damage. Find any kind of waterproof container you can get your hands on (such as a pot, bucket, or washtub), and place it under the dripping water. It’s not very pretty, but it’s the quickest and easiest way to manage the extra water. You will also need to watch it carefully to make sure it doesn’t overflow.
Finding the Leak Itself
Once you have done all the necessary damage control, you can shift your attention toward finding a temporary fix for a leaky roof. You might think that finding the source of a roof leak is as simple as following the flow, but you would be surprised by how hard it can be to find out where the problem is occurring. You can throw a tarp over your entire roof and call it day, but it’s not the most elegant solution. It’s better to do a little investigating, so you can find exactly where the water is coming from.
If you can get into your attic, that’s where you want to start your search. Look for any protrusions, black marks, water stains, or mold. Leaks tend to form around penetrations in your roof (such as chimneys and vents), so pay close attention to these areas. If it’s still raining, you might be able to see where the water is coming from. Otherwise, you may have to be a little creative by getting some help.
Have someone use a hose to douse certain portions of your roof with water as you look from the inside. This will allow you to see exactly where the water is getting in from the outside. Once you have this information, you can work on sealing it up.
Locking Down the Leak
Most people aren’t professional roofers, so you most likely won’t be able to make a long-term seam. But until you can get someone to help you, you only have to come up with something that will work for the time being. It doesn’t need to look pretty, but it does need to work.
You have a few options when it comes to making a temporary seal for your roof, but it will all depend on what you have available. If you have tar paper and roofing cement, you can use that to spread a few layers over the leak so you can seal it up. You can even use caulk or cement to plug up smaller leaks.
The most common solution is to use plastic sheeting or a tarp to cover the leak until it can be professionally repaired. It’s not very attractive, but it’s a simple fix. Just spread your sheeting or tarp over the affected area and secure it in place. Roofing nails would be an ideal solution if you have them, but you can also weigh it down with any heavy objects that you don’t mind leaving on your roof. You just need to have a tight enough seal around the sheet.
If you have a roof leak and are looking for one of the best places for roof repair in Corpus Christi, be sure to reach out to Bayfront Roofing.
