If you have never heard the endless annoying drip, drip, drip from a leaky roof in the middle of the night, consider yourself blessed.  Most Portland homeowners can recount a time or two when a leaky roof kept them awake at night.  A leaky roof is a very common experience for most Portland homeowners at one time or another during heavy periods of rainfall.  Still, the homeowners who have actually heard the repetitive drip of a leaky roof will tell you that they are, in fact, the lucky ones.  This is because an unknown leak in Portland roof can send water undetected through walls, ceilings, and cause horrible damage.  Since a leaky roof could go on for days or even months without being noticed, it is important to have regular roof inspections, as well as learn to indentify the warning signs of a leaky roof.

After a leaky roof is discovered it is crucial that a Portland homeowner take fast action to remedy the problem.  First of all, do not panic or put up a for sale sign.  Instead, remember that you read this and take comforting knowing that the leaky roof is generally an easy fix for a professional roofing contractor.  Next, hurry over to the drip with a large bucket or trashcan so that your flooring is not ruined.  Getting a leaky roof repaired quickly by a professional Portland roofer can prevent mold growth, mildew from forming, and water damage to your home’s foundation.  If there are no obvious signs that your Portland roof is leaking, there are still ways to identify a potential problem before it is too late.

Signs Of A Leaky Roof:

The most important aspect in dealing with a leaky Portland roof is to find the source of the leak.  Some of the common places to begin inspecting are in the shingles, at valleys or low laying spots on a roof, around skylights, near chimneys, by plumbing vents and jacks, roof flashing, ice dams, and in the roof’s eaves.

Look around for water spots or stains on ceilings.  Moisture from a leaky roof will often travel from the corner of a vent before dripping across a long span of a ceiling and becoming noticeable.  Carefully inspect for wet spots everywhere near a skylight, fireplace, chimney, and all roof vents.  The attic is a prime suspect when searching for the origin of a leaky roof.  If there is any damp or wet insulation in a particular area of the attic, a leaky roof’s source is likely near.

Carefully inspect the roof itself, looking for torn or missing shingles.  Damaged flashing is a sure clue towards finding a leaky roof’s source.  Examine all of your gutters and downspouts to determine if water pooling as opposed to flowing freely, which could also cause a leaky roof.

What Is The Next Step To Fixing A Leaky Roof?:

After the leaky roof’s source is discovered, or water is found—which indicates damage to a roof—it is very important to contact a reputable and qualified Portland roofing contractor to fix the problem.  Most often a new roof is not required, so do not panic.  A professional roofer should quickly remedy a leaky Portland roof and help to prevent further water damage from occurring to your home or commercial building.  When an older home or building is in need of a new roof, a professional Portland roofing contractor will provide all of the resources and experience to install a new long lasting roof.  The days and nights of drip, drip, drip will then quickly become a thing of the past.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 19th, 2009 at 4:11 pm and is filed under News and Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.