Joey Montoya
Roof leaks are common in Colorado; Colorado is the 7th most hail-prone state in the USA. There are over 10,000 new roofs or repairs done in the Denver Metro Area every year, and they can be costly and annoying to repair. Using this guide, you will be able to repair common leaks and save money in the process.
The most common way to spot a leak is with a water test. These tests are used by professionals to find leaks and repair them quickly with the minimum amount of damage to your home. If you notice that a leak is making its way into your home, then grab a friend and start a water test.
A water test is a simple but effective way to check for leaks. This is where a team of people spray water on a roof to locate the leak.
The tools needed to perform this task are as follows: a ladder, hose (connected to running water), towel, cell phones or two-way radios, and a tube of silicon for the repair.
To start, either you or your partner must go into the attic and have a look around to see if there are any visible signs of water damage. Make sure that the person in the attic is equipped with a towel or a shammy, anything to clean up the water (if there is a leak).
If there are no signs of water damage in the attic, the second person will need to gain access to the roof using the ladder. Using the two way radio (or cell phone, whichever works best), locate each other’s whereabouts in/on the roof.
Once the two of you are near each other, begin to spray water on the roof. It helps to isolate the roof in ten-by-ten foot patches. You shouldn’t spray water on the roof for more than a minute at a time, giving the person in the attic time to spot the leak.
If there are no leaks to report, move on to another patch. Repeat this task until the leak is found. In many scenarios, the leaks occur around chimneys or skylights. These areas are coated by metal; this metal is used to divert water. In about 90% of these cases, there is a small opening in the metal that can be sealed with silicone.
If there is a leak on an area of the roof that is not a skylight or other non-shingled area, than the repair will be a little more difficult. If this is the case (and it RARELY is) then you should call a roofing company. Luckily, you get to save 30+ dollars on a roof test when they come to fix it.
If there is no leak that you or your partner can find on the roof, but there is still water coming into your house, there might be a leak in the pipes. Call a plumber to handle pipe-bursts, or find another how-to because they are not this writer’s specialty.
Congratulations! You just learned how to spot and fix (in most cases) a roof leak to your home. Using the water test you can save on costly repairs and become a certified do-it-yourselfer.
Note: this method only works with shingled houses.
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