What Are The Causes Of Roof Leaks?

Posted: Jun 17, 2008 | Comments: 0 | Views: 1,282 | Bookmark and Share

Roof leaks are caused by several factors. Usually, it is not one of these things alone that causes leakage, but a number of these combining to break down the protective covering over the building. These factors or conditions are as follows:

1. Poor Roof Construction -- This has become a serious problem in the past 15 years or so. Due to constant changes in the economy, the bidding on new structures (which includes virtually every kind of building including schools, hospitals, apartment buildings, shopping malls, and industrial buildings) has become so fierce that to get the job the roofing contractors must cut corners.

The roofing contractors must fight the weather to meet completion deadlines. Oftentimes installation continues during unfavorable weather conditions. Sometimes moisture is trapped in the roofing system and can contribute to early failure of the roof.

The results of corner cutting are cropping up, all across the country, in the form of inadequate roof insulation, poor roof decks, and the use of 2-ply instead of 3-ply and 4-ply paper in building the new roof. It is now not uncommon for a new roof to leak not long after it has been laid down.

2. Normal Aging and Weathering - A roof begins to deteriorate the day it is constructed. Its main enemy is the weather. It takes a pounding from the sun, rain, snow and sleet; it is scorched by intense summer heat and buffeted by high winds from storms. The sun dries out the roofing paper; causes the tar to run and sag, weakening the roof mat. As this oxidation soaks the oils out of the paper, it becomes brittle and subject to cracking and splitting; and when the weather suddenly changes, the extreme expansion and contraction brings the ultimate disaster - A roof leak!

3. Settling of the Building - All buildings settle; It is their nature, but some settle much more than others. When a building settles at an abnormal rate, this puts great stress on the roof. This unusual movement can, and will, create enough strain to cause a roof leak, which if left ignored will result in a general roof breakdown.

4. Vibrations - Some of these result from natural phenomena such as earth tremors, severe storms such as tornadoes and hurricanes. Even buildings located many miles from such an act of nature can get enough impact to put a strain on the building, which in turn carried to the roof can contribute to a roof leak. Other vibrations from machines, equipment, air conditioners, railroads and truck traffic cause early failure.

5. Mechanical Damage - Much more prevalent than you might think. In today's technology, it has become standard to put many pieces of equipment on the roofs; air conditioning units, phone and TV antennas, sign supports, elevator housings etc., which presents a serious problem for two reasons.

A. They put extra weight on the roof.

B. They require servicing, and every time a serviceman goes on a roof there is some danger of damage being done. Even harmlessly using a small ladder on a roof can make a small break in a flashing, which unknown to the building owner can result in leakage and damage.

(ArticlesBase SC #452435)

Rate this Article
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 0 vote(s)
    Feedback
    RSS
    Print
    Email
    Re-Publish

    Source:  http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/what-are-the-causes-of-roof-leaks-452435.html

    Article Tags:

    Roofing Contractors

    ,

    roof

    ,

    Roof Repairs

    ,

    roof leaks

    ,

    stop roof leaks

    ,

    roof inspections

    How to Find a Leak in the Roof of Your House

    Joe Truini from DannyLipford.com shows you how to locate a leak in the attic that may be hard to find. (01:18)

    How to Clean and Inspect Your Roof

    Home improvement expert, Danny Lipford, explains how to inspect, clean, and make minor repairs to a roof to prevent leaks from damaging your home. (01:15)

    Home Buyer Beware

    What you don't know about your new home could hurt you in the long run. (02:15)

    The Importance of Keeping Your Gutters Clean

    Keeping your gutters clean is an important part of regular home maintenance. Clogged gutters can result in rotten eave boards and leaking roofs. (01:06)

    Installing a Standing Seam Roof

    The standing seam roof has become an enormously popular choice in residential roofing over the last decade, especially as a stylish and durable roof in the custom home category. (04:55)

    Before you go to the expense of calling in a roofing contractor, see if you can analyze and repair your roof problem yourself. The best possible time to repair your roof problem - is as soon as you realize that you have one and if the weather is calm enough to climb up onto the roof. In fact, this could be further qualified by saying that the best and most economical way to a trouble-free roof, is to inspect the roof regularly, so that you see the problem developing.

    By: Virginia Wherland l Home Improvement > Remodeling l Jun 06, 2008 l Views: 103

    To keep your home your dream home, you need proper repairing. Roof repair is also a part of keep your home safe. Preventive maintenance can keep you from paying a lot for paying bigger roof repairs later.

    By: Article Manager l Home Improvement > Remodeling l Jul 18, 2008 l Views: 79

    ACS Residential, a full service roofer and roofing contractor in Atlanta, warns of the dangers of not dealing with roof leaks and performing roof repair immediately. With the heavy rains moving through, hundreds of homeowners will see water in their homes. Water Damage and Storm damage must be fixed quickly to prevent more costly repairs down the road!

    By: Grant Freeman l Home Improvement l Feb 05, 2010 l Views: 2

    Sometimes called synthetic or thermoset rubber, rubber membrane roofing is made of large flat pieces of synthetic rubber materials that are welded together at the seams to form a continuous membrane

    By: Roof101 l Home Improvement l Oct 09, 2009 l Views: 1

    Roofs Represent Approximately 5 to 7% of Capital Building Costs - But Roofs Cover 100% of the Building and Its Contents. so What Gives When the Roof—the Spine—is Leaking? Bolts Through Roofs are Bad News! Do's and Don'ts of Roof Maintenance. Breaks in Roof Edge Elements Can Cause Leaks and Also Let Wind Get Under the Roofing Membrane and Cause Blow-offs. Damaged or Clogged Gutters, Roof Drains, and Downspouts Can Cause Water Back Up on the Roof.

    By: webmaster l Home Improvement l Mar 18, 2009 l Views: 133
    Mark Hostetler

    Also beneficial is a yearly check on your roof and woodwork. The woodwork inspection, you can probably carry out yourself, but often the roof inspection often gets a quick upward glance and that's it.

    By: Mark Hostetler l Home Improvement > DIY l Aug 08, 2008 l Views: 16

    Many home owners are opting to get involved in home improvement projects and repairs as a way to save money in the current changing economy. The upside of doing your own roof valley repairs is that you can have the satisfaction of a job well-done with only the cost of the materials.

    By: Ken Briesemeister l Home Improvement > DIY l Oct 06, 2009 l Views: 16

    Driving simulator training offers a more modern way to learn driving. With its advantages over traditional approach, it is judged as the better choice.

    By: Markus Skupeika l Technology l Feb 09, 2010
    Daisy Samuel

    Earth 4 Energy Review - Earth 4 Energy Download - Learn More About Earth 4 Energy Review - Earth 4 Energy Download .Earth4Energy is a guide that teaches how to build a homemade solar panel and wind turbine at a very low cost. It also claims to reduce 80%-100% of your electric bill. However, is it true? Did the guide really people in achieving their goal? Well let me share you something about the guide.

    By: Daisy Samuel l Technology l Feb 09, 2010 l Views: 1

    Near are many other remuneration to be present obtained from such a generator. Earliest of all its gullible - not exactly of stream, but it is awfully eco-friendly and uses rebuff fossil fuels or else non-renewable energy sources to drive it.

    By: Fleez l Technology l Feb 09, 2010 l Views: 1

    If you’re a big fan of various television series, like Supernatural, House M.D., Heroes, or any other of the popular series that are currently going on the network, you’re going to love what we are going to talk about. As a matter of fact, you will be able to not miss your favorite show wherever you go in the US

    By: James Hopes l Technology l Feb 09, 2010 l Views: 1

    There are many occasions, when you simply go out of your home to make a certain visit (i.e. visit to a doctor), or you have to wait for someone. Whatever the occasion is, if it requires certain time of waiting, it can get really boring. Luckily, today’s technologies and electronics have some very nice solutions for such moments.

    By: James Hopes l Technology l Feb 09, 2010 l Views: 1

    A woman was held at knifepoint in Sweden. She was able to ask for help from her friends by updating her status on Facebook.

    By: Gerald Shaw l Technology l Feb 09, 2010 l Views: 1

    Speech Recognition Technology and Medical Transcription Services now go hand-in-hand.

    By: Laura l Technology l Feb 09, 2010 l Views: 2

    Today with the power of the internet, we can accomplish so many things online. There are several online methods that make our life easy and simple. One of the areas that have benefitted a lot is the real estate industry. Today property owners who find it hard to manage their property and handle their bookkeeping can benefit from the free online property classifieds. The main idea of using classified ads sites is that you can reach new and more audiences that you will never reach if you use the l

    By: kaiz l Technology l Feb 09, 2010 l Views: 4

    Roof leaks are caused by several factors. Usually, it is not one of these things alone that causes leakage, but a number of these combining to break down the protective covering over the building. These factors or conditions are as follows:

    By: David Cathey l Technology l Jun 17, 2008 l Views: 1,282

    Add new Comment

     
    * Required fields
    Author Box
    Articles Categories
    All Categories
    0