Understanding the Causes of Roof Leaks in Heavy Rain
A lot of people are shocked when they find out how large the market for roofing contractors is. People spend more than $57 billion on the services of roofing contractors every year in the United States alone. There are almost 80,000 roofing businesses scattered throughout the country.
Many people call on the services of roofing contractors when they discover that their roof leaks in heavy rain. However, it can be difficult to know the proper ways to manage a roof leak if you do not know what is causing it.
Commercial roofs are a lot more complicated under the surface than they look from the outside. However, the good news is that most roof leaks are the results of a small list of common problems. It does not take too long to learn about these common causes of roof leaks and figure out which one might be causing your own leaky roof.
So what are some of the most likely reasons your roof is developing leaks? Read on to learn all about the top causes of roof leaks in heavy rain!
Skylights Can Cause Roof Problems
In some cases, you can have a leaky roof even if it is in excellent condition. This is more likely to happen if you have a skylight.
A skylight provides a lot of advantages, but they are more susceptible to developing leaks. In some cases, your skylight might be dripping water even if your roof does not have a leak at all!
This can happen because your skylight can collect condensation on its underside. This happens when the weather outside makes your skylight glass so cold that it turns the moisture in the air of your building interior into drops of liquid water on its surface.
On the other hand, there is also a higher chance that your skylight will develop a genuine leak around its edges. There are a few different reasons for this.
First, some skylights are a little bit lower than the surrounding roof surface. That means that they are more likely to develop pools of water. These will exert constant pressure around the edge of your skylight that will try to find any crack that they can leak through.
Even if your skylight has a good seal now, these pools of water can lead to weaknesses in the caulking around the glass over time.
Flat Roofs Become Leaky More Often
This same problem with pooling water is more likely to happen all across your roof if it is flat. That is one of the main reasons that many roofs are designed with a slope.
Even a tiny amount of sagging in a flat roof can lead to a shallow hole where water can build up. In some cases, this will also lead to leftover water on your roof for hours or even days after a heavy storm. The longer water sits on your roof, the more likely it is to erode your roof and cause a leak.
This can also happen if any kind of roof lacks the drainage it needs to stay as dry as possible. Many commercial buildings rely on gutters to carry water and other debris away. However, if these gutters become clogged, water will start to build up in their vicinity.
Chimneys Can Cause a Leaky Roof
In some cases, chimneys are another weak point for leaky roofs. Even if your rooftop is creating a tight seal, it can be difficult to maintain that seal between the rooftop and the edge of the chimney.
In many cases, a layer of flashing around the edge of chimneys helps provide extra protection against leaky roofs. However, it is worth checking if your chimney has this kind of flashing in place or not. If it does not, that can be a sign that your chimney is responsible for any leaks you are seeing.
The good news is that this means that you can often get the protection against leaks that you need by having someone install flashing around the chimney.
You Might Need Roof Leak Solutions for Moss
Without proper cleaning and maintenance, there is a good chance that your roof will develop moss over time. Left alone, moss will continue to dig deeper and deeper into your roof and spread across a wider area. In the long run, this can cause significant erosion that will cause leaks.
Even if this does not cause a leak by itself, it can weaken your roof and make it more likely that water erodes it the rest of the way and causes a leak.
Neglecting Roof Repairs Can Lead to Leaks
When you find damage on your roof, you should make sure to call commercial roofing services as soon as possible to take care of it. Most kinds of roof damage tend to become worse when they are left alone and given time to develop. Of course, this also means that you will end up paying more for more extensive repairs when you do eventually call roof repair services.
In the long run, your commercial building maintenance expenses will be lower if you invest in repairs for small roof problems before they become bigger.
Know the Causes of Roof Leaks in Heavy Rain
In some cases, it can be confusing to discover that your building has roof leaks in heavy rain. However, learning more about some of the common causes of roof leaves can help you zero in on the likely cause. Understanding more about your roof and how it develops problems will also help you take the right steps to keep it in top shape.
To learn more about how you can find the right commercial roofing services when you need them, reach out and get in touch with us here at any time!
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