Caring for your home is an ongoing task. If you notice something is amiss, it is crucial to correct any potential problem as soon as possible. That is very much true of your roof. Even a relatively minor roof leak can quickly lead to major problems. Even worse, a leaky roof can also be very dangerous. Knowing what dangers you might find should your roof leak will help you avoid additional roofing problems when seeking assistance and keep your entire family safe.
Mold is a highly common problem for many homeowners. Certain conditions in your home and the area around it can encourage the growth of mold. One of them is a leaky roof. As water leaks, it creates an environment that makes it easy for mold to grow. Unfortunately, mold can also grow quite rapidly. That’s why you need to act quickly and get it under control. Mold can also cause you and members of your family all sorts of health problems. These include symptoms that resemble a cold such as coughing, sneezing and nasal discharge. Mold can also trigger asthma attacks in people with this condition. This is why you want to remove all visible mold for surfaces such as your home’s walls and siding. You also want to fix the source of roof leak to prevent it from happening again.
Your home’s attic serves many purposes. Many homeowners use it for storage. Some use it as an additional living space such as a guest bedroom. A leaking roof can damage the walls of this room. Leaks from your roof can also harm flooring and anything else you’re keeping here. Someone who is staying in the attic can get very hurt if the roof or flooring buckles from water damage. Another thing many homeowners do with their attic is put up insulation. Insulation helps keep reduce your home’s energy bill. However, water can spill on the insulation. That can damage the insulation. That means a water leak can increase your heating and cooling bills and force you to purchase new insulation.
Everything in your home is connected. This includes your home’s wiring. Water damage from the roof can get into your home’s electrical system. This can cause all sorts of major headaches. Your home’s wires may be exposed. Touching them can easily lead to dangerous electrical shocks. Electrical problems can also start a fire in your home. Even a small fire can damage many parts of the structure. Electrical issues can also hit your home’s lighting fixtures hard. You may need to hire an electrician to ASAP to fix this issue.
Many homes have wood framing. Wood framing is a good choice as is both flexible enough to endure varied weather conditions yet strong enough to avoid many kinds of damage. Yet wood has a weakness in that it can be damaged by prolonged exposure to moisture. When your home has constant dripping water, the water can be funneled into the home’s framing. If this keeps happening, it can compromise the overall functionality of your entire home. Keep in mind that the wood use in your home’s framing may not have the same kind of weatherproofing often found in wood on the exterior of your house.
Damage to the framing can take many forms. Early signs of water damage to the framing can include damaged ceilings with visible water spots. Other signs include more extensive damage. For example, you might notice support posts that appear damaged. You might also see damage to your roof decking and even visible rot in the home’s ceiling joints.
Drywall is one of the single most parts of your home. This is used to separate each room and allow enough privacy. Leaky roofs can drip water on your drywall. Drywall is not designed to get moist. Put your hands on any area where you think there might be damage to the drywall from a roof leak. If the area feels damp, this can indicate there’s an underlying problem. You might also see areas where the color looks differently. If you see parts that look discolored, this is also an indication it might be damaged as a result of a leaky roof.
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