Don’t Leave It ‘Til it’s Too Late: The Dangers Of Not Repairing A Leaky Roof

Does your home’s roof have a tiny leak in it? If so, you might be tempted to hold off on making repairs to it since it might not seem like it’s having much of an impact on your home.

After all, the average cost of a roof repair is right around $800. So why pay that much money to make a repair to a leaky roof when the leak might not be that bad yet?

This is the wrong attitude to have. While you might not love the sound of spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars to repair a leak in your roof, it’ll prevent you from encountering all kinds of problems down the line.

Here are 5 dangers you could face if you choose not to repair a leaky roof right away.

1. Leads to Further Damage to the Roof

If you have a tiny leak in your roof right now, it means you have a small hole in the roof that’s allowing water to enter your home. But if you don’t do anything about that small hole, it’ll only be a matter of time before it grows larger.

It’ll also only be a matter of time before water is able to seep into the lower levels of your roof and cause them to rot. When this happens, it’ll make portions of your roof weak—and it could even cause them to collapse at some point.

What was once a small problem with your roof will suddenly be a big problem that’ll force you to either make major repairs to your roof or replace it altogether. And roof replacement will cost you a whole lot more than it would have cost to repair your roof in the first place.

2. Damages Everything in an Attic Space

At first, a tiny leak in your roof won’t allow much water to work its way into your home. But as the leak intensifies, more and more water will be able to find a way into the upper levels of your house.

If you have an attic in your home, the water that sneaks in through the hole in your roof will start to do damage to it right away. It’ll cause damage to:

  • Rafters
  • Ceiling joists
  • Insulation

 

In some cases, water can also get down to your wall framing and do damage to that as well. If and when that takes place, it could make your entire home structurally unsound.

Water will also ruin almost everything that you keep up in your attic. From your Christmas decorations to the family heirlooms that you have stored up there, they’ll all be at risk when they’re exposed to water.

It’s why it’s a good idea for a homeowner to poke their head up into an attic space every now and then to inspect their roof from the inside. If you see sunlight shining through any portion of your roof, it’s reason enough to call on a roofing company to come and inspect your roof.

3. Creates a Fire Hazard in an Attic

Most homes have electrical wiring running through their attic spaces. This is one of the most practical places for electricians to put wiring when they’re first installing an electrical system in a home.

The problem with this is that it could put electrical wiring into harm’s way if there is ever a leak in a roof. When electrical wiring is exposed to water on a regular basis, there is a chance it could short circuit and cause a fire to start.

If you ever have a leak in your roof and suspect it may have led to electrical wiring getting wet, it’s smart to get in touch with both a roofer and an electrician. The roofer can make repairs to your roof to stop water from coming into your home while the electrician works to make repairs to your electrical system.

4. Causes Damage to Ceilings

When water first starts leaking into your home as a result of a tiny hole in your roof, most of it will end up in your insulation. But eventually, the insulation won’t be able to hold it back anymore, at which time it’ll come into contact with your home’s ceilings.

You’ll be able to tell that this is happening by looking at the ceilings located right under your attic. When they get wet, you’ll see dark spots on them that will indicate an issue.

Believe it or not, there are some homeowners who will try to “fix” this problem by painting over the spots. But this won’t take care of the root of the problem. Water in your attic space will continue to damage your ceilings until they give way and collapse.

5. Promotes the Growth of Mold and Mildew

If you allow a leaky roof to spiral out of control, it’ll do more than cause damage to the rafters, insulation, and ceilings in your home. It’ll also promote the growth of mold and mildew.

Mold and mildew will often begin by growing in your attic space. But over the course of just a few months, they can also spread to other parts of your home.

Once you have mold spores in your home, your HVAC system can take them and move them throughout it. It won’t be long before you have mold and mildew growing in various parts of your house and causing a whole host of health problems for you and your family.

Repair Your Leaky Roof Today

Repairing a leaky roof might sound like the last thing you want to do right now. But if you don’t do it, there will be consequences.

Failing to fix a leaky roof could put your entire home in jeopardy and lead to serious health issues if you’re not careful. It could also force you to do roof replacement way sooner than you may have hoped.

Contact us today to have roofers come out to your home to fix the leak that you have in your roof.

Roofing Contractor Prince Frederick, MD