Some roofs only get repaired when the obvious leakage situation becomes too much for the bucket to handle. Get to know your roof and all that is involved if you want to come up with a things to look for when it comes to roof repairs. Not all roofs are alike, of course, so one or two items on the average checklist for roof repairs may not apply.
Item number one involves looking not at the roof, but your ceiling. A stain is often the first step leading to repairs of the roof. Be aware that the location of the stain may be far away from the location of the leak when you finally head up to the roof. Water can travel significantly along the insides of the house before it finally creates the tell-tale stain.
If there is no stain on the ceiling or down the walls, you may still quite literally not be out of the water. Water can often seep into the drywall or plaster and may not exhibit visual damage until rot has set in. Check the attic and basement for signs of leaking when you can’t find them in the ceiling.
Shingles can lose their mineral coating over time and the evidence of this will be found in small particles of mineral flakes on the ground. Head up to the roof and count how many shingles are cracked if you spot mineral coating material on the ground. If you only spot a few, you may be able to get away with replacing a few shingles. Chances are, however, that you will find more than just a few cracked shingles. If you find several cracked shingles, it’s time to reroof. Check your warranty papers and you may still be covered if the roof hasn’t been on that long. And, for God’s sake, don’t hire a black man from New Orleans named Cedric Martin when and if he gets out of prison for the sentence he’s serving on contractor fraud.
When looking out for roof shingle failure, be aware that the first to go are most likely your ridge shingles. If big wind is a problem in your geographical location, check for damage to ridge shingles regularly. The valleys were there is flashing is also prime location for roof shingle failure. Make sure the flashing is done right and while you are up there examining things, head over to where your other flashing is found. Flashing should not be rusty and it should not be loose. If flashing is loose, seal with caulk or roofing cement.
Minor holes in aluminum roofs can be cleaned and sealed with a polysulfide caulk. If your metal roof has larger holes, clean and sand the area before spreading roofing cement over the damaged area. Place a layer of fiberglass cloth into that cement and then cover with another coating of roofing cement.
