If your house recently got hit by a storm, a fire, or any other disaster, it’s safe to say that you require a roof repair or replacement. In fact, in such cases, this may fall under the emergency roof repair category. As the name suggests, emergency roof repairs are any fixes made to your roof after it’s sustained significant damage. The initial repairs are temporary, like adding a tarp to prevent leaks or caulking to fill up holes. But you’ll need to consult a roof repair service as soon as possible to prevent further damage and ensure that your family isn’t in danger.
N let’s take a deeper dive into what an emergency roof leak repair entails.
What Is Emergency Roof Repair
Regardless of the damage your roof has endured, it’s deemed an emergency if you’re in danger. For example, repairing a small leak over your kitchen floor shouldn’t be neglected, but it’s far from a disaster. On the other hand, the same leak over an electric panel will fry up your wiring and put your entire house in peril.
Types of Emergency Roof Leaks and Damage
You might also be able to assess if you need to call a roofer right away based on the kind of roof leak or roof damage that you are dealing with. Here are some problems that may qualify as an emergency roof leak:
- Pests And Animals: Minor roof infestations of bugs, birds, or mammals may not be an emergency situation. However, if the infestation has caused large holes in your roof or has caused significant damage to the shingles and other layers of the roof, then it may be an emergency, particularly if a storm is on its way.
- Roof Neglect: Roofs that have not been maintained and inspected on a yearly basis may develop serious leaks in several vulnerable areas, from valleys to flashing.
- Fire Damage: Asphalt shingle roofs are rated for fire resistance and designed not to readily ignite or feed the fire. However, they can still be damaged by exposure to flames and extreme heat. After a fire, you will likely deal with many emergency repairs to various parts of your home, and your roof may also require an emergency repair to replace any shingles, underlayment, decking, or roof trusses that were exposed to the fire.
- Tree Damage: Fallen trees can be a significant risk to roofs and their structural integrity.
- High Winds: Extreme winds can rip layers off your roof, leaving the underlayment, decking, or even attic space exposed to the elements.
- Lightning Strikes: Lightning strikes to roofs can cause significant damage to roof structures, leaving your home vulnerable to further storm activity and water intrusion.
- Other Weather Events: Hurricanes, tornados, and major thunderstorms can all cause significant enough damage to your roof to warrant an emergency call to your roofer.
- Structural Collapse: If your roof may be at risk of collapsing, it is undoubtedly an emergency. Severe and long-term condensation, extensive water damage, tree impact, more snow than the roof is designed to hold and other damage may all be risks for collapse.
- Ice Dams: Major ice dams can cause damage and leaks that may become emergencies.
- Mold: Extreme mold growth in your attic may become an emergency. If the mold growth is due to a lack of roof ventilation, which caused condensation, then a roofer can add the necessary ventilation to help correct this issue.
- Seriously Clogged Gutters: A gutter clog may be an emergency if it causes a serious leak from water backflowing onto the roof.
How Can I Avoid Emergency Repairs?
One of the best ways to avoid emergency roof repairs is to have roofers perform regular maintenance on your roof, including cleaning gutters and inspecting roof elements for damage. It may also help you to familiarize yourself with the components of the roof, so you have a better understanding of how things should look on your roof and when you might need to call a roofer. If you require assistance with emergency roof repair for your home in Orange County, contact the team at Guardian Roofs today!
