How a leaking roof can damage your home?
There is a whole list of home maintenance issues but a roof leak repair should take the highest priority among them. There are varieties of reasons which can cause leakage in your roof and a leaking roof can almost destroy your home if you don’t take action as soon as possible. Even a small roof leakage can be dangerous for your home, for your safety, and your health.
https://sameday-restoration.com/ talks about damages a leaking roof can cause.
Mold and Mildews
Mold and Mildew can grow in a longer period because of a leaking roof. Mold can grow very rapidly when water is left to stand for even 24 hours after leakage. Places like underfloor or between covered wall studs, where humidity won’t dissipate are places where mold and mildews can grow and spread. Mold and Mildew can cause serious health issues like respiratory problems and harmful for asthma patients. It can also lead to mold growth on your walls, ceilings, and attic if a roof leak isn’t repaired right away.
Attic and ceiling damage
Attic and ceiling damage of your home are the earliest issues that come with a leaking roof. Attic gives the roof a layer of protection but without an attic, your ceiling is at even more risk. Your attic and ceiling can be affected by extensive leakage. When the dark and circular stain on the wall will be visible you can identify the problem. Additionally, the surrounding plaster of the ceiling may start to bubble or darken. It can also affect paint and plaster on the surrounding walls in case of severe leakage. Even worse case is when it starts to affect and damage ceiling lights and other electronics.
Fire hazards
A leaky roof could pose a fire threat from shorted wires if your electrical wiring is present in an attic or ceiling. Turn off electricity to the affected area and have an electrician to examine it.
Higher bills and wasted energy
A leaking roof can also cause high utility bills, as water intrusion is detrimental to the insulation in the attic area. It takes a long time for it to dry out when your insulation becomes saturated. Chronic water intrusion will deplete the insulation significantly and your home will lose hot and cool air, resulting in higher utility bills.
Rotting Structural Wood
A leaking roof can cause the biggest long-term damage to the actual wooden structure of the home over the period. Wooden parts like shafts, framings, support, and other structural pieces of wooden frame start to decay from contact to water. If the leaking water is directly in touch with the wood then that’s the worst-case and fixing the leakage and fixing the damage is the only solution.
Drywall Fatigue
If your roof is leaking for quite a long time then it affects the continuity of drywall. Drywall is made of a plaster-type material that can lose coherence after getting wet continuously. In the beginning, it consumes the moisture, but once saturated, the structure of the drywall extends and decays. If the drywall is used for walls, it might ultimately break into pieces and powder. If the drywall is your ceiling, instead of breaking, entire sections of the affected drywall might collapse.
Slip and fall hazard
A critically leaking roof can make water to puddle on the ground. If you have an active family, and particularly if you have kids who like to run, you need to get that water wiped up to stop human spills. Though, this may not seem like a huge risk.
Final words
In short, the longer you wait to repair, the more money you will likely have to spend to rectify the situation. So, fix a leak right away.