Roof Leaks

A roof leak is no fun; there’s no getting around it. First you have to find the location of the leak, then you have to get it fixed. The time you spend figuring out how to fix a roof leak is time you could be spending on a million other things, and all of them would probably be more enjoyable. However, we can help minimize the frustration and expense by taking care of it quickly and professionally.

The first factor that we would look into would be this question: are we actually dealing with a roof leak? We have to verify that first, because in some cases the source of the leak isn't the roof at all. It could be your heating/AC system having some condensation, which is causing the water to drip and cause water staining on your walls or ceiling. It could also be a plumbing situation – a leaky pipe, a loose valve, or something else involving the plumbing system in your house.

Once we have determined that there are no other sources of water causing wet spots on the ceiling and/or walls, we can be reasonably sure that we do in fact have a roof leak. Now we just have to determine where and how the water is getting in.

There are a few situations that would allow water in from the outside:

• Shingles loose, cracked or rotting – This is one of the most common roof leak occurrences, and is most likely to happen of your asphalt shingle roof is more than 15 or 20 years old. That’s getting up in years for asphalt shingles, especially under our strong Florida sun. We can look at the roof and see if it makes sense to repair the location of the leak, or if it would be more cost effective to replace the roof.
• A nail that has backed out – In a shingle roof, you might find that a shingle nail has somehow backed itself out and cut through the top shingle. You would be surprised at how much water can enter in through that one little nail hole. Over time this can mean quite a bit of water damage; catching it early is a cheap fix.
• Bad flashing installation – Flashing is the metal piece that seals up the area where the roof meets a vertical surface, such as a chimney or a wall. If this is not installed properly, water will find a way in eventually. Nails can also work themselves out of flashing.
• Crack around plumbing vent – The plumbing vent is one of the things that protrudes through the roof, and it has to be properly sealed. The base of the vent is normally enclosed by a rubber “boot”, which is then also covered with shingles. Since these boots are made of rubber, after a while they develop cracks and breaks from extended exposure to the sun. This is one of the first areas we check for a roof leak.

Having been in the roofing business for more than 25 years, we know exactly what to look for so we can generally track down a roof leak pretty quickly. Remember, water is persistent and it can travel quite a distance before you see it showing up on your ceiling. By the time you notice it on the interior, the actual roof could have started leaking weeks before that (or longer). That’s why it is important to call as soon as you notice a problem – the earlier we catch the it and take care of it, the smaller (and less expensive) the problem.

Hire us when your roof leaks in New Port Richey, Port Richey, Palm Harbor, Clearwater, St. Pete, Tampa, Safety Harbor, Trinity, Tarpon Springs, New Tampa and South Tampa.