Emergency Roof Leaks: What Homeowners Should Know

Emergency Roof Leaks:

Emergency roof leaks are bad. They leave homeowners worried and full of anxiety. In today’s post, our panel of experts here at American Standard Roofing discuss what homeowners should know when it comes to emergency roof leaks.

Why Now?

We have had to make several calls in the past days and weeks in regards to emergency roof leaks. With extremely windy conditions as we saw last week and the recent snow storm, there were panic every where. Power outages, downed trees, and lots of roof damage are a common sight for us. While homeowners cringe at the thought of such disasters, it is our job to make sure everything is in proper working condition.

Steps for Safety:

Our team is asked this question regularly. What do you do if you are in a panic emergency roof leaks situation? Lets say you are sitting inside during a storm (or even on a regular day) and water comes pouring in.

1) Evaluate The Situation:

The very first step our team advises is to evaluate the situation. Do it as best possible as you can. Look for foreign objects outside. Is there a downed tree on your roof? Do you see shingles in your yard like a couple just blew off? Is there water coming in your home? And is there any immediate danger?

2) Come Up With Appropriate Solution:

The next step would be to come up with an appropriate solution to the emergency roof leaks situation. If there is a tree on your house, you need to get away from that area immediately. Trees are a lot heavier than they look, and if the framing on your house gives out, you could be hurt or even killed. Professionals will come in and remove the tree after the storm. If there is water coming in but no immediate danger present, you’ll have to wait it out. Get some buckets or something to collect water in and place them under the leaks. We have encountered customers using duct tapes. That does not work. It is usually too dangerous to send a technician up on your roof while it’s raining, but you should still call us as soon as possible to reserve a slot for when the weather clears. They fill up quickly so the sooner you reach us, the sooner we can get out to tarp your roof.

3) Do An External Inspection:

Our team advises that even if you do not find an foreign object on your roof, you should still do a full walk around of your home. This is especially necessary after every storm. Check for pieces of shingle in the yard, and look from the ground to see if there is anything out of the ordinary. Hail can crack and damage shingles so it’s important to keep an eye out.

4) Help Minimize Storm Damage:

You can help minimize storm damage by pruning trees away from your house. Homeowners should also remove dead and dying branches from any big trees in their yards. Trees that are close to the home can bend with the wind and scrape shingles, and branches that are dead or dying are much more likely to snap off and fall onto your roof.