Roof is flowing - what to do?

Many residents of private houses sooner or later encounter an unpleasant phenomenon: a damp spot first appears on the ceiling, and then water begins to drip. So the roof leaked. Not only is the situation itself unpleasant, the resulting dampness can lead to damage to the ceiling, furniture, mold and fungal deposits. Worse, a short circuit may occur, which in most cases causes a fire. Only one way out - it is necessary to urgently repair, without waiting for the deplorable consequences.

Causes of leakage

Several causes can cause roof leaks:

1. Natural wear of the roofing material during operation. Any, even the most durable material, gets older over time and its performance characteristics deteriorate. The destruction of the surface layer occurs under the influence of sunlight, temperature drops, precipitation. Due to unfavorable conditions, cracks appear through which water penetrates. Under the action of moisture, cracks become larger, which ultimately leads to the appearance of holes that are sufficient to allow moisture to penetrate the outer surface of the ceiling. This applies to all materials that are used to cover the roof.
2. Roof damage due to mechanical stress. They can even appear on a completely new roof. The reason may be a natural disaster in the form of a hurricane, tornado, hail, or just a strong wind load. The roof can be damaged due to the fall on it of foreign objects: stones, large branches of nearby trees. First of all, you need to climb to the roof and carefully examine it.
3. Defective roofing material. Such a situation may occur either due to the negligence of the builders, or if the technology of laying roofing material is not followed. For example, instead of laying roofing material in three layers, it was laid in two. It may happen that workers who install the roof used substandard consumables and fasteners.
4. Roof mounting is incorrect. This may be an error in the preparation of project documentation or in the event of non-compliance with the sequence of work when installing external roofing. The consequences of this can appear only a few weeks or months after putting the house into operation. As an example, we can mention the case when the rules for installing a heat insulating layer are violated, or installers made a mistake when working on waterproofing roof joints and a heating pipe. The tightness of the roof will not be ensured if the lathing is incorrectly made, and the roof material has shifted.

Elimination of leaks

Consider several options for how to behave, if the roof flows - what to do?

If the roof is covered slate and it flowed, it is necessary to inspect carefully the entire surface. If on some sheets of slate large cracks appear, then such sheets should be replaced with new ones. For small cracks, it can be limited to sealing them with a sealant or adhesive bitumen tape. Maybe the reason is not in the slate itself, but in the places where the sheets are nailed to the base. Here it is appropriate to pre-strengthen the nails themselves, followed by putty in the place of attachment with bitumen mastic or silicone sealant. It is best if the nail is driven into the upper part of the wave.

Note! To fix tightly slate can not - burst.

The next type of coverage - shingles. Leakage can occur due to shearing of individual tiles or damage to them. It is necessary to replace the damaged tiles with new tiles, and if necessary, make additional strengthening of individual tiles. The technology of repair is as follows: on all sides of the damaged area pegs are driven in, lifting the entire tiled row, which will facilitate the installation of new tiles. If cracks are found on the tile, and there is no opportunity to replace it with a new one, then the places of these cracks can be smeared on both sides with mastic and set to the old place.

Roof material - metal tile. This is one of the most reliable and durable roofing materials. The leakage of such a roof due to wear is unlikely. But you cannot foresee everything, there are unforeseen circumstances. Mechanical damage to the metal surface may occur or a mistake may be made during installation. There are cases when there is a gap between the ridge and sheets of metal tile. If the damage is minor, you can do with sealant or use steel patches. In case of large damages, the sheet must be completely changed

Note! Roofing sealant or special adhesive tape is used to eliminate the gaps.

If the roof is covered roll material, and she gave a leak, you need to understand the subject. This roof is most often prone to leaks. If material of the budget category was used, then in two or three years the roof can leak. Especially if ruberoid was used. Repair of the roof of soft material is carried out only when the roof is well dried. Carefully inspect the surface outside and inside, is determined by the place of possible flow. Having determined the location and nature of the damage, the final decision is made to eliminate the fault. If during the inspection revealed a swelling of the ruberoid, it means that moisture has leaked there. In this case, it is necessary to cut out the entire damaged area, dry it thoroughly, smear it from the inside with a thick layer of mastic and put it in its original place. Visible cracks and tears can be patched with patches, which are superimposed over the damaged fragment. On all sides, these patches are coated with mastic.

Faltsevaya the roof can regularly serve for ten to fifteen years. But she is not eternal. If the flow did appear, it must be sealed in this order:

• the damaged area is cleared of paint and degreased;
• using a soldering iron, the hole is tightly closed with copper or zinc, then the patch of aluminum or composite material is applied;
• You can apply "cold welding".

It is possible that the roof of the balcony is leaking. This, of course, is less critical than the roof of the house, but also causes some inconvenience. In most cases, the cause is poor-quality sealing of the joints. This may be a small gap between the balcony canopy and the wall of the building. In this case, you just need to tighten the screws more tightly. With improper roof waterproofing, it needs to be redone. If the balcony roof is a reinforced concrete slab, then the leakage is possible only in the place of the slab abutment against the wall. This place can be sealed with foam.

The main thing that experts advise, the first thing you need to determine the source of the leak, and then plan further action.

Note! When performing roof repairs, reliable insurance is absolutely necessary. Alone repair the roof is not recommended.