While you should definitely seek professional help when your roof springs a leak, it may be that there are no contractors immediately available to come out and repair the problem, in which case you should take action yourself if appropriate, before serious damage (or more serious damage, if it has already caused some) is caused to your home.
If you’ve recently been hit by a particularly savage storm, and your roof has obviously sustained some damage, it’s important to act fast to minimize that damage and keep everybody in and around the property, safe from harm.
If your roof has started leaking and the roofing contractor can’t get out to you until the next day, here are 5 steps you can take to limit the damage:
- If need be…wait for help to arrive
While it is true that action needs to be taken as soon as possible when a roof has been damaged, if the storm that caused the damage is still raging, you should avoid trying to do anything that involves getting up on the roof, or even going outside to try and assess the extent of the damage. Wait until the storm abates and it’s safe to go outside; after all, your roof is of no consequence if you slip and fall or get struck by lightning!
- Inspect the roof
Once the storm has subsided and it’s safe to go outside, try to inspect the damage in as safe a manner as you possibly can. If you’re using a ladder, make sure someone is with you to hold it steady, and never attempt to take photographs of the damage if it isn’t safe to do so; you can describe what you saw to the roofing contractor instead.
- Control the water
If a leak has appeared and water is seeping, dripping, or gushing into your home, you’ll need to try and stem the flow as best you can. However, if you’re not comfortable going up on to the roof, or trying to staunch the flow from inside, you may have no other option than to simply collect the water in an appropriate vessel to prevent it from damaging your belongings.
Ultimately, a serious leak in which water is flowing at an alarming rate into your home, will need to be addressed by a professional roof repair company, and many offer an emergency service in which they will try their best to come and repair the damage as soon as possible.
- Plug the leak
As mentioned above, the only real way to stop water from entering your home via the roof, is to plug the leak, and you can use tarpaulins, rubber sheets, sealants or duct tape to do this. However, you must only do this if it’s safe, and if you’re at any risk of falling or being harmed in any other way during the process, you must wait until professional help arrives. Plugging the leak yourself is in no way a permanent solution, and certainly won’t look very attractive, but it might be essential to limit the damage until the contractor can get there.
- Remove puddles
If your roof is flat or has a relatively low pitch, water may be ponding on its surface, and if possible, you should try to remove this before it goes on to cause an even bigger leak.
A leaking roof is a serious issue and your first step when you spot one, should always be to call a local roofing company so that they can come and repair the damage. Avoid soggy situations by getting a check-up on your roof.
