Roof is the first line of defense that protects us from the rain and shine and it is important to not have a leaking roof because it can damage your properties and valuables. Roof is the one element of our house that experiences the harshest elements – hot suns and heavy downpours. The constant exposure to hot suns and heavy rains subject our roofs to strong wear and tear and this causes our roofs to leak in due time.
The most common causes of roof leakages are:
- Cracked, misaligned or missing roof tiles
- Worn out or rusty roof flashings
- Rusty or de-bonded roof gutters
- Roof penetrations such as ventilation pipe, skylight or solar panel
Very often, our roof water leakages are caused by the above mentioned culprits. It is generally not difficult to repair a leaking roof because we can either repair the damaged parts modular or re-seal the damaged joints. The hardest part of a roof repair is the roof access and movement on the roof. Some of the roofs can be almost impossible to access without the usage of boom lift, scaffolding or scissors lift and all these increase the cost of repair very significantly. Walking and working on the roof also require stringent safety precautions such as life-lines, harness and anchorage point. The steeper the slope of the roof, the harder it is for workers to work and repair any roof water seepage.
To prevent hefty costs of repair, it is recommended that roofs be constructed in a manner that is easy to access, walk on and work on. You should also get your roof checked out every couple of years, by a roofing specialist to ensure that the roof is in good condition. This can significantly reduce the potential of a costly repair because early symptoms of leakages can be picked up and rectified at a low cost.
You should always engage a roof repair specialist to carry out any water leakage repair because non-professionals who work and walk on your roof may cause more damage to the tiles (i.e. crack more roof tiles, damage the flashings etc). They may even create new leakage problems in other areas because of unprofessional workmanship.