homeowner doing roof maintenance

A Guide to How Small Roofing Problems Become Big Leaks

You were leaving your house the other day and noticed a shingle popping up off of the roof or one that was simply missing. Though this kind of minor perfection on your home annoys you, you didn’t think that was a cause for alarm. Sadly, that’s not the case.

Very small issues with a roof can slowly become leaks that may cause damage through your whole home. To prevent large problems later, you need early intervention. Learn why in this blog.

Small Imperfections May Grow to Leaks

The roof of a home serves works like a tough layer of skin that protects your home from the weather and debris. And, like skin, even a small puncture on its surface may become a more significant concern. For example, a missing nail on a shingle could let in small, but significant, amounts of water that gradually wear away at the interior of a roof.

As this damage spreads and worsens, more of your roof’s shingles will likely become damaged. Unfortunately, this cascading problem could cause slow, but persistent, problems that quickly wear away the roofing on your home in unpredictable ways.

Leak Triggers May Be Complex

Though a small imperfection like a loose nail could start a roof to leak, other triggers are more complicated. For example, your roof vents may crack with age and let in small amounts of water along the edges that rapidly spreads and causes damage. Even worse, the slope of your roof may be too shallow and allow water to collect in already-weakened areas of your roof.

Even issues like excessive debris on a roof, weakened flashing, broken ridge caps, and gutter backup may contribute to worsening damage on a roof. None of these issues are typically large enough to trigger an immediate leak on their own but can become a cumulative problem that triggers water damage.

Water Moves Unpredictably Through a Roof

The toughest part about diagnosing leaks is identifying where they begin. You can’t just follow the leak upwards from your home’s ceiling and expect to find the source directly above it. Water flowing through a damaged roof may move in unexpected ways, such a rolling along rafters far from the initial hole.

Then, the water may drip from this rafter and roll further away until it hits the top of your ceiling inside your home. As water pools on the flat surface of your ceiling, it will begin to damage the material and soak through it. And just like that, you have a leak in your home that needs to be fixed right away.

Timely Repairs Are Essential

If you’re concerned about minor damage on your roof and want to prevent a leak, you must contact professionals right way to get help. Immediate roofing repairs can help to stave off spreading leak damage and keep your home stronger and more resistant to corrosion.

And early repairs can also save you a lot of money. While minor repairs may cost just a couple hundred dollars, extensive repairs or reroofing can be in the thousands of dollars. You can easily avoid that high increase in repair cost with early roof repairs.

We Can Help You

If your home suffers from a leak that you can’t quite pinpoint and you need help getting it repaired, don’t hesitate to contact us immediately at SUNVEK to get the repairs you need. Our specialists will come to your home, examine your roof for damage, and provide the repairs necessary to keep leaks from becoming a reality. Get in touch as soon as possible so you can prevent costlier problems down the road.

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