What is Causing my Roof to Leak?
Roof leaks can cause extensive damage to the attic and contents of your home. The sooner you repair your roof the better.
General Roofing Systems Canada (GRS) is a leading Calgary Roofing Contractor serving Calgary Roof Repair and Replacement through-out southern Alberta.
For the D.I.Y homeowner, the following are ten reasons your home or business may have a roof leak and why you may require Calgary Roof Repairs.
1. The shingles have blown off allowing water ingress.
Wind storms can easily cause wind-blown shingles to occur where you may not be able to see the damage while standing at ground level.
2. A valley is compromised.
The valley metal (open valley) or valley shingles (closed valley) have a hole in them. Someone may have stepped in the valley when walking on your roof to service your chimney, remove snow, or hang Christmas lights.
3. Poor installation by the roofing contractor.
The roofing contractor did not install the materials properly in the first place. Poor installation is one of the most common reasons home-owners experience leaks.
4. Roof flashing has failed.
The flashing around the chimney, skylights, along the walls was not installed correctly or has been damaged by a storm or other service workers. Metal flashing cannot have a hole in it or be installed incorrectly.
5. Roof vents or chimney is leaking.
The vents, chimney pipe or other penetrations are leaking. This is common with poor installation or in the winter with ice backing up around the back of vents and leaking in to your home.
6. Your shingles were installed incorrectly.
The shingle installation off-set pattern is not correct or some other installer error occurred. Shingle manufacturers have installation guidelines for shingles which include specific off-set patterns. The shingle manufacturer or home insurance company may not honor a warranty claim in this instance.
7. Improper roof membrane for low slopes.
Your roof is low slope and the installation did not include a proper ice and water membrane on the sheathing prior to the installation of the shingles.
8. Roof life expectancy has expired.
The shingles on your home or other roofing material has gone past the acceptable life expectancy. Many home-owners assume that a limited warranty as offered by the manufacturer is a life expectancy - in many instances this is not true.
9. A hole or other storm damage is caused from a tree limb or some other object.
A falling limb from a tree or some other foreign object (hail for example) has caused a hole in your roof, air vents or flashing. An inspection of your roof should be done after each hail or wind storm.
10. Your attic ventilation may be wrong.
The roof leak may not in fact be a leak from a breach in your roof. The water in your home may be attic condensation manifesting itself as a “roof leak”. This is a common source of water in your home if you see moisture on your windows and down exterior walls.
General Roofing Systems Canada (GRS) trained technicians can assist you with inspection and estimation of costs to fix your roof.
Call our 24 Hour Calgary Roofing Repair hotline for service at 1.403.873.7663 or email us at calgary@grscanadainc.com.
