Leaky roofs are a common problem for homeowners. Bad craftsmanship and bad weather are liable to leave serious damage resulting in leaks which could ruin your home from the inside. Many people think they will need the help of expensive specialists to fix their roofs but this isn’t necessarily the case. There are plenty of things that you can do to fix the roof yourself, as long as you have the right tools and take all safety precautions. This guide will help you and give you the instructions you need to do your Roof repairs in Chelmsford.
Check the roof thoroughly
Before you even begin your climb up to the top of the roof you should check it thoroughly as best you can. You can do this from the outside first. Stand in the street and look at it carefully though binoculars. Check to see if there are any loose tiles or cracked tiles. Make a note of where these are. Doing this check can save your life. You don’t want to stand on the wrong tile without knowing what to expect and slip and fall and injure yourself.
After you’ve done the outside check, you need to do the inside check. Go upstairs into the attic with a flashlight and look for any damage. You are looking for mould, mildew or other kind of water damage. Make a note of the leak but remember, this isn’t necessarily the source. Water in a leaky roof sometimes travels quite a distance due to its structure.
Find the source of the leak
Now you need to get on top of the roof and look for any damage you saw from outside. If you didn’t see any damage using your binoculars standing on the street, then go to the area near to where you saw the leak from inside your house. The leaking part is most likely there. Look curled of missing shingles.
Fixing shingles
Shingles that are curled can be fixed using a propane torch that has a special nozzle to direct and spread the flame. That’s to make it malleable. Then let it cool a moment and brush it with asphalt. Let it dry and the problem should be fix.
However, sometimes you might need to completely replace a shingle rather than fix a curled one. Shingles lift off the roof with little effort so it shouldn’t be difficult for you to remove the damaged one. You might need to prise the nails off with the back end of a hammer. Scrape the area underneath shingle to clean it and then put the new single in place. Fix it down with 6d galvanised nails and then cover it with asphalt to seal it.
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