4 Reasons Your Roof Is Leaking In a Sugar Land TX Home

Four Reasons That Roofs Leak In Sugar Land, Texas
And Why You Should Take Care Of Them Now

The residents of Sugar Land, Texas, have endured plenty of wet and windy weather over the past 20 years. While the local government has done its part to help you prepare for the next hurricane, there are things you can do, as well. A big one is making sure your roof is in tip-top condition.

Getting your roof repaired as soon as you spot a problem is your best answer to keeping your roof healthy. No matter how small, a leak is an indication of big trouble in your roofing system. And even a small roof leak can turn into a huge disaster in high winds and heavy rain.

Prevent Damage From Roof Leaks

Most roofing failures can be prevented with a robust inspection schedule. Most roofing contractors recommend an annual inspection schedule combined with additional inspections after particularly nasty storms.

All of the problems listed below are both the main reasons for roof leaks and entirely preventable with proper attention paid to your roof.

1) Lifted Shingles

When your shingles are first installed, the asphalt is activated by the sun’s heat to seal the shingle to the roof’s surface and the shingle beneath. However, when you see shingle tabs lifting or curling up, the seal is breaking down, and your roof is no longer watertight.

On top of the potential for leaks, the lifted portions of your shingles are easily caught by the wind, and high winds can quickly strip those shingles from your roof and turn them into projectiles. Shingles are not light, and the damage they can do to your neighbor\s property can be extensive.

2) Loose Flashing

Flashing is the material, often metal, used to blend roof features, such as chimneys and vents, into the shingles on your roof to eliminate water leaks. Flashing is notoriously difficult to get right and needs to be installed with expert care.

If your flashing loosens or the sealant simply wears down, water leaks are almost guaranteed. Water will infiltrate through the interior of the flashing and run straight to the wood decking on your roof. Problems like this can’t be seen from the ground, which is why annual roof inspections are a good idea, as well as inspecting your roof after any violent storm.

3) Leaky Skylights

Skylights are a great idea. They let in a ton of natural light during the day and let you gaze at the stars at night. Unfortunately, they also are famous for imperfect seals, especially if your skylight is over a decade old. Watermarks around skylights are such a common sight that unmarred skylights look strange.

But those roof leaks are not harmless and can cause trouble if not repaired. First, they travel into your roof structure, softening the wood and weakening your roof. Then, in torrential rain, those small leaks can turn into an interior torrent as the weight from so much water rips open the weakened seams.

4) Heat Buckling

Older roofs that lack proper venting can get so hot that the shingles will buckle and break their seal with the roof structure. Buckled shingles can let water back up underneath the uneven edge and soak into the wood.

The buckled asphalt shingle can also catch high winds, which will then rip the shingle from your roof. If you fail to have your roof repaired, the next big storm could take it off completely.

Anatomy Of A Roof Leak

Regardless of the source of the leak, all roof leaks have the same disastrous effect on your roof system and the structural integrity of your ceilings and even your walls.

Weakened Structure

A leak that is allowed to exist for too long without a roof repair can devastate the structure of your home. When wood is constantly wet, it begins to break down, which weakens all the nearby structures. Walls may bulge out as the weight above makes the weakened studs bend. Ceilings may sag and eventually fail completely.

Uninvited Guests

Damp wood is easy to bore through and is a favorite of carpenter ants and other boring insects. As they happily go about making their home, your home gets weaker and weaker. If you don’t get your roof repaired quickly, the repair bills can grow beyond your ability to pay as the insect activity adds ceilings and walls to the equation.

Mold

Another creature that loves damp wood and dark spaces is mold. We tend to think of mold as something that spreads, but the more accurate term is ‘grows’. Mold is a living organism, and like all organisms, it needs to eat. So mold eats what it is sitting on, in this case, your home’s framing timber.

As the mold eats, the wood becomes soft and brittle, rendering it unable to secure anything, much less a roof, wall, or ceiling.

The Bottom Line

There are many ways to start a roof leak but only one answer to the problem. Get your roof repaired immediately. By the time you notice a leak, it has most likely been there for weeks or months, and the damage has already begun.

If you are interested in getting your Sugar Land, Texas roof checked for problems, contact us at Houston Roofing for a free roof inspection.