Detecting the source of a roof leak in your Indianapolis home may not be as easy as you think. You may detect a wet spot in your kitchen ceiling, for example. Where is the leak coming from? Your roofer will tell you that it could be any number of sources.
Venting
The appliances in your kitchen, or any other area that has drains, such as your bathrooms and laundry, will have vents that protrude through the roof. These vents are, basically, the exhaust for your drain, which allow the drain to flush properly. Thats why youll often find that your plumber has to climb onto your roof its to root out the vent that may have become backed up, making your drains malfunction, However, anytime there is traffic on the roof, damage may occur. With work around the vent stacks, damage to the seal may happen. Each of these vents must be properly flashed and sealed, with the shingles placed properly around the flashing. Any damage to the seal around the vent stack can cause a leak.
Gables
Gables are the roofs over your porches, additions, and entries. They make a house interesting to look at, because they break up the roofline. However, every time you add a gable to a house, youre creating seams that may leak in the future. These seams are called valleys, and they must be flashed and sealed to prevent leaking. Remember, all it takes is one nail hole that has no sealant, and you have a spot where water can seep in. Your
Indianapolis roofer will work very hard to avoid any leaks around gables.
Chimneys
The condition of your chimney is vital to the health of your roof. Not only does the chimney need to be flashed properly, the materials that make up the chimney must be in good shape. A chimney is not protected by the eaves of the house. It usually takes the brunt of all extremes of weather, and often will erode to the point of allowing water to enter your house through the damage in the chimney itself. Not everyone knows this, but your chimney is actually a pipe, surrounded by the chimney material, such a brick or stone. The firebox is fireproof brick, which encases the pipe. However, any kind of brick, whether its decorative brick on the outside, or fireproof brick on the inside, must have mortar to keep it in place. The exterior brick can deteriorate, losing its mortar and even letting bricks fall off, because of erosion. When this happens, water can seep in during bad weather. If you have a chimney cap, that should be enough to keep water out of your fireplace. If you have water in your fireplace anyway, it could be damage to your chimney that is allowing water to enter between the exterior dressing of the chimney and the flue pipe. This water may not make it all the way down to your firebox. It may travel to other parts of your house, damaging ceilings and walls.
Inspections
Your
roofers will know what to look for. In fact, after a cursory inspection of your roof, to check for indications of damage or shoddy repairs, hell spend quite a bit of time in your attic. This is where hell find the true evidence of the source of leaks in your house. Hell look for dark spots indicating wood that has been wet. He can follow the trail to the exact area that is allowing water into your home, and recommend the right roof repairs.
Accutuc Restoration Management is a licensed and insured roofing and construction company in Indiana and Missouri and does residential and commercial roofing, roof repair, siding, gutters, home restoration, and home construction and improvement in Indianapolis Indiana.
