Tips On How You Can Test A Flat Roof For Leakage

Nothing is more frustrating and embarrassing at home than having to live with a leaky roof. On top of that, there is the prospect of dealing with repairs that could be costly. However, it is impossible to repair a roof if you do not know the source of the leak in the first place.  When it comes to leak detection in flat roofs, the task is not easy. Just because you have seen a spot or ring of water on the ceiling, it doesn't necessarily imply that your roof has a leakage directly above the spot. This is because water seeks a path that offers less resistance to its flow and hence, the leak may have originated from anywhere. Here,though, are a few tips that can make it easy to detect water leakages in flat roofs.

Check For Leakage On Roof Flashings

Flashing is metal sheet that is usually fixed around the vents, valleys (the section where two pitches of roof meet), and chimneys to prevent water from going forcing its way inside the roof via these points. Visible signs that tell you the leak is coming from the flashings are holes in the flashings, corrosion, and uncaulked openings.  Daubs of roofing cement on the flashings may also imply that that the leak is coming from the flashings; the cement hints that there was work done previously on the flashings to correct the leakage but the problem has now resurfaced.

Check For Leakage Using A Hose

You can also trace the leakage by running water from a hose on the roof. Depending on the location of the leak, take note that it may take a short or a long time to find the leakage using this method. Start the hose and begin working backwards away from the lowest point the water could be entering the roof; the gutters, for instance, make a good starting point. Allow the water to run for at least ten minutes before you move up ruling each section or component out. And from time to time adjust the hose so that water can flow across the dry sections of the roof.

Of importance to note is that the farther you move away from the spot where the leak is showing inside the house, the more time you will have to give to other sections when you are testing them for leakage. This is because of the simple fact that if one of these sections is leaking, water has to travel a long way before it shows inside the house.

Checking For Leakage In Small Lake Beds

If there are low spots in your flat roof, water is likely to gather around the spots and form small ponds. Check the spots for splits in the roof or small holes after the ponds have dried out. 


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