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Easy Ways to Repair a Leaking Roof
What should you do if your roof leaks when it rains? Repairing a leaking roof isn't actually that difficult if you know how. As the rainy season approaches, one of the most important things is to ensure there are no leaks in your roof. The roof is one of the most important components of a residential building. Therefore, if a leak or damage occurs to your roof, the comfort of you and your family will be compromised.
For roof maintenance, we should inspect it at least once every three months.
What should we do during this routine roof inspection?
Routine roof inspection and maintenance includes:
1. Cleaning the roof of dirt, sand, and moss deposits that can cause cracks. Also, clean gutters of trash and other debris to prevent blockages in the water flow during rain.
2. Check the position of the roof tiles. If any tiles have fallen or shifted, immediately restore them to their original position.
3. Ensure the slope of your roof tiles is correct. Ceramic roof tiles require a slope angle of about 30 degrees, while asbestos roof tiles require about 15 degrees. If you don't pay close attention to this, rainwater and wind can enter through the gaps in the roof tiles. Cracked roof tiles should be replaced immediately.
4. Also check the construction to ensure it is still sturdy, safe, and undamaged.
Easy Ways to Repair a Leaking Roof
1. The first step in fixing a leaking roof is to find the source of the leak. This is not as easy as it seems. Sometimes, the location of the water droplets on the floor doesn't necessarily indicate the source of the leak. The adage "where the water drips, there's the leak" doesn't apply. Sometimes, water entering through cracks or shifting roof tiles doesn't fall directly to the floor, but instead flows along the ceiling or battens, looking for an opening to drip onto the floor. So, the source of the leak could be as far as 2 meters from where the water drips onto the floor. BEWARE!
2. Look for the source of the leak during the day. Climb to your attic with a light. Be careful of exposed wiring. It's a good idea to turn off the electricity in your house by turning off the fuse while you repair your leaking roof. Trace the water trail until you find the source of the leak.
3. Repairing leaks in concrete, asbestos, or shingle roofs due to hairline cracks can be done by installing wire mesh and waterproofing. However, larger cracks must be drilled and then replastered.
4. Fixing leaks in concrete roofs can also be done by plastering/coating the suspected leak with cement.
Here's how:
- Climb onto the roof and make a hole approximately 2 cm deep in the crack in the concrete where the leak is coming from.
- Clean and moisten the area, then apply concrete adhesive along the surface.
- Once half dry, fill the crack with fresh cement.
5. If the leak is caused by a shifted roof tile, replace it. If a broken tile is caused by a new one, replace it.
6. Don't forget to repair any ceiling damage caused by leaking water. Don't let the ceiling get damp, as this can cause more serious damage, such as a collapse.
8. To reduce heat absorption and mitigate damage from rainwater, 1-2 mm aluminum foil can be used as a layer between the ceiling and the roof tiles.
So, essentially, you're not patching the leak, but rather channeling the leaking water to a safe location, preventing it from dripping onto the ceiling or wetting the floor. Here's how:
1. Prepare a bucket and a suitable length of PVC pipe.
2. Hang the bucket directly below the leaking water.
3. Make a hole in the bottom of the bucket and connect it to the PVC pipe to channel the water dripping from the bucket to a safe location.
4. You can channel the water outside the building/house using the PVC pipe, so that the leaking water from the roof doesn't drip down, and your home is free from it. Good luck!
With proper and regular maintenance, you'll no longer have to worry about a leaking roof. If a leak occurs, fix it immediately before your ceiling becomes damp and collapses. That's how to repair a leaking roof. Hopefully, this article helps and you don't need to worry about the coming rainy season.
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