Water damage can come from many places inside the home: broken faucets, frozen pipes, a clogged toilet. But your roof is a large surface area that is forgotten about ninety-nine percent of the time. And problems with the roof can lead to water damage in the home.
Roofs have an average lifespan of twenty years, but extreme weather will shorten that timeframe. If your roof has been compromised, water can quickly leak through, saturating the attic as well as drywall and the building structure. Even a small leak can lead to major water damage.
If you find water leaking through the roof while it is raining, it could be due to deteriorated shingles, improper installation, or failed flashing. Flashing around chimneys and skylights is a common source for roof leaks. The entry point may even be due to damaged window sills, improper siding installations or simply severe wind-driven rain.
In Bridgeport, repeated freezing and thawing of rooftop snow can cause enough damage to the roof to cause a leak. To prevent ice dams, we at Crossroads Property Rescue recommend eliminating or reducing the amount of warm air that is escaping into the attic. After an ice dam, you need to repair damage to insulation, joists and sheetrock.
Most of the time, a roof leak will form a small puddle in the attic until it finds an escape route: a light fixture, heating register, ceiling joists or other low point. If the ceiling is holding water, you will need to deal with both the roof problem and the resulting damage to your home. Not every ceiling stain points to an expensive new roof. However, if the spots only appear, darken, or grow in size after it rains, the roof is likely the culprit.
Gutters that are not properly sloped or securely attached to your home’s exterior will also cause roof drainage problems.The extra weight of a clogged gutter can cause it to tear away from your home. Now this exposed area is open to more rain and more future water damage that will most likely require professional water damage cleanup.
When a portion of the ceiling stays damp for an extended period of time, a yellowish brown mold stain can form overhead. Left untreated, the mold stain may grow and become darker over time. The drywall and the attic simulation can harbor moisture and allow mold to grow, even infecting the wooden supports.
The most obvious consequence of a leaking roof is the damaged rafters, ceiling joists, wall framing and even fascia boards and exterior trim can become victims of water intrusion. Chronic roof leaks lead to wood deterioration and weakened, rotten roof framing causes serious problems. You can also face expensive wood framing repairs if water leaks down into ceiling joists and walls.
Spongy and weak water-damaged wood can end in peeling paint, damaged ceilings, and buckled wall coverings. Structural damage is inevitable if there is a serious and long-standing roof leak. A piece of deteriorated ceiling could give way and fall, damaging anything underneath.
When you suspect water damage from the roof, windows, or the sink, get a professional repair team in now. Every day that you delay increases the amount of damage and the potential for mold. Crossroads Property Rescue provides emergency water damage cleanup and decontamination services to Bridgeport and throughout the tri-state area.
For immediate service 24/7, call us at 304-594-3222.
