A leaky roof can be a real nightmare for a home or business owner. It can lead to drywall damage, costly repairs, and loss of productivity. While some damage may be repairable, early detection and preventative maintenance are the key to keeping your building watertight.
Leaks are often the result of damaged or missing shingles, but they can also occur at other points in the roof system, such as around skylights, valleys, and chimneys. In many cases, these sneaky leaks can go unnoticed until they’ve caused significant interior damage. The good news is that you can use several effective methods for detecting leaks in your roof before they become a major problem.
The first sign of a leak is often a wet ceiling or water stain, but it’s important to check the walls and floors for other signs as well. You’ll want to look for sagging or buckling drywall, mold growth, and musty smells. If you have access to your attic, take a flashlight and carefully examine the insulation and ceiling drywall for evidence of water penetration. You’ll likely have to wiggle into tight spots in the attic space to do this, but it’s worth the effort.
Once the source of the water penetration is determined, it’s time to look for the actual leak. Sometimes the location of the leak is easy to spot, but other times you’ll have to become a detective to track it down. Water tends to travel down the easiest path possible, so the point at which it exits your attic space might not be directly over where you saw the water stains on your ceiling.
If you can’t determine the exact location of the leak, try the water spray test. Have someone inside the building watch as you simulate a rainstorm with a garden hose. As you soak the roof surface, have them listen for dripping noises to pinpoint the exact location of the leak.
When a leak is detected, it’s important to have the right tools on hand to make the necessary repairs. In addition to ELD, you’ll want to have infrared (IR) moisture detection available to help verify the extent of any entrapped water within the roof structure. IR sensors can detect a higher temperature than surrounding areas, which helps identify entrapped water and prioritize the need for remediation.
source https://albertbakerroofingptyltd.wordpress.com/2024/08/18/roof-leak-detection-and-preventative-maintenance/
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