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Top 5 causes of a leaking roof

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Mika, Staff Writer

Monday, 15 March 2021

A leaking roof is an inconvenience that no one wants to have to deal with. When you discover a leak in your roof, you’ll automatically begin thinking about the cost of roof repair. It’s useful to establish what is causing your roof leakage before you contact a roofer to arrange a roof repair.

Here are the top five causes of a leaking roof, to help you to establish the cause of your leakage.

Slipped tile or slate

One of the most common causes of roof leakages is a slipped tile or slate. These are typically very easy to notice – simply look up at your roof and see if you can see any missing tiles or slates. If so, this is likely to be the cause of your leakage.

When one of your roof tiles slips, rainwater will begin to build up on your underlay, putting it under increased pressure. When this water builds up, it may begin to leak inside the roof.

Underlay failure

Although your roof tiles and slates are designed to keep the rain out of your roof, strong winds or excessive rain can lead to water getting below your roof tiles. Underlay is designed to catch this water and carry it into your guttering, keeping your roof free of any leaks.

If your underlay becomes damaged, it won’t be able to function effectively. Eventually, it may fail, leading to a leak making its way through your roof.

Poor installation or materials

Poor workmanship is one of the most common causes of roof leakages. It can be tempting to choose the cheapest roofer without inspecting any of their previous work. However, there are many inexperienced roofers out there who don’t always install materials properly.

If the components of your roof aren’t installed effectively, it could lead to leaks later down the line. This includes your roof membrane, flashing, vents and chimney.

Lean-to extensions

Lean-to extensions often experience problems with roof leakages. If the water from the main roof of your house is discharged onto the roof of your lean-to extension, it’s likely that your roof will eventually begin to leak in heavy rain.

This happens because the tiles and underlay of your extension are unable to cope with such a large volume of water. They will eventually cave under the pressure, leading to a leak. The best way to avoid this is to install guttering on your main roof which diverts the water away from the roof of your extension.

Your roof is old

No roof is capable of lasting forever. Eventually, the materials in your roof will age beyond their life expectancy and begin to break down. The integrity of your roof will then be compromised, with leakages becoming more likely.

There isn’t much you can do once your roof reaches the end of its life – it will need replacing when it gets to this point.

To sum up

There are many different causes of roof leakages and the only way to properly determine the cause is to hire a professional roofer to inspect your roof. They can assess the damage and advise you on the best course of action to take.

If you’re ready to hire a roofer to repair your roof, you can find a reliable Roofer on Bark. 

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