Hurricane Preparednes 1 - Stop that Roof Leak Now!

WARNING! If you have water stains that extend across ceilings or run down walls, the cause is probably a roof leak. 

If you have a roof leak, you'd better fix it immediately, even if it doesn't bother you much or you're getting a new roof next year. Even over a short time, small leaks can lead to big problems, such as mold, rotted framing and sheathing, and damaged ceilings.

Tracking down the leak is the hard part; the fixes are usually pretty easy. You can stop leaks yourself—no experience necessary. Here is how I tracked down and fixed a roof leak. Most leaks take only minutes to repair.

It was about 2:00 pm Saturday as I sat in the living room watching a soccer match when I heard the most ominous sound a homeowner can hear: Drip . . . Drip. To my chagrin, a rivulet of water was making its way down the open rafter and dripping on a single sofa just opposite to where I sat.

Stain in ceiling caused by leaky roof

In a jiffy I was up scouring for a bucket or pan to catch this dripping water which could have ruined my sofa. I traced the leak and saw where it was coming from.

I couldn’t do anything more about it right then, but as soon as the sun came out the next day, I hauled out my rickety old extension ladder and headed up to investigate the roof.

Roof leaks are tricky buggers – water can sneak under a headless nail, shingle or rotten galvanize at one end and snake its way along the underlayment before dripping into any room. 

Keep in mind that flat roofs don’t always leak in the same manner as roofs with more shape. Instead, you may find drip marks down a large area of your walls or a wet spot on the ceiling.

Even if your roof is well-maintained or fairly new, heavy rainfall is still a cause for concern. The areas of your roof that are prone to pooling water can lead to a leak during heavy rain.

Roof Leak Products

Having marked the spot from inside, and someone  to poke the the area, I headed up to the roof armed with Ames Leak Stopper Rubberized Roof Patch from Rayneau to locate and patch that leaky spot. To my amazement, I found out that the galvanize nail head was loose and that this was the same with many other nails on the roof.  

I spread a coat of Ames leak Stopper Rubberized Roof Patch over every nail head on the roof. 

Other similar Roof Cement products from Rayneau are:

• Elastomeric roof and wall coating
• Roofers Choice wet and cold cement
• Premier wet or dry plastic roof cement
• Roof sealers

Having attacked the roof like a rubberized ninja, I slowly backed away and am now waiting for confirmation that it worked. We’re forecast to have rain tonight, so I’ll be spending the evening in the living room daring the roof to spring another leak.

It better not, that’s all I have to say!

Hurricanes are usually accompanied by heavy rains. Fix your leaky roof now.