After the dry, stifling heat of a North Texas summer, a heavy rain can be a welcome sight, and spring brings some of the biggest storms of the year. At the same time, heavy rain can mean headaches for homeowners who aren’t prepared for water getting in through the roof.
Imagine you’ve settled down to enjoy a meal, the rain outside has gotten heavy, and suddenly you notice a drop of water coming down from the ceiling. The first and most important thing is not to panic. Many home and business owners only find out their roof needs repairs during or right after a heavy rainstorm.
It is easy to feel frustrated when this happens, but the top priority is to contain the leak and keep water off your floors and belongings, especially electronics. Buckets, pots and pans work fine as a quick response. The worst thing you can do is try to stop the leak at the ceiling, because the water will simply find another place to come through.
If heavy rain has caused a leak in your ceiling, the actual source is somewhere in your roof, and in most cases the water is not traveling straight down to the spot where it drips. It often runs along the decking, rafters or pipes before it shows up. Instead of trying to trace it yourself, contact the team at Roof Experts so we can send someone to assess the situation and get the leak taken care of. If water is pouring in, our emergency roof repair page explains how we tarp and protect the roof until a permanent repair can be made.
Since 2017, our team in Arlington has handled all types of roofing problems across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and we know how to inspect a roof and find exactly where a leak starts. That keeps the time and expense of the roof repair down and lowers the risk of more water getting into your home or business.
Steps To Prevent Rain Damage
Most people forget about their roof until a leak has started and water is dripping inside. A few precautions go a long way toward keeping your interior dry, your belongings protected and your roof working properly, even in the heaviest rains of the year.
Some of the steps you can take to keep heavy rain from damaging your roof include:
- Cleaning Gutters and Downspouts – It may not be the most pleasant job, but it is an important part of regular roof maintenance. If your home or business is near tall trees, it is especially important to clear debris from the gutters and downspouts regularly. Once they clog, water backs up. That can lead to leaks at the roof edge or even pull your gutters down under the weight of so much water.
- Checking Vents and Flashing – Look at the vents, pipe boots and metal flashing from the ground with binoculars or a zoomed-in phone camera; we would rather you stayed off the roof. Cracked boots, lifted flashing and gaps around vents quickly cause leaks and other damage that lead to expensive repairs down the road.
- Keeping a Regular Inspection Schedule – Having your roof inspected regularly by an experienced professional is the best way to make sure your home or business is ready for severe weather, especially heavy rain. You learn about problem areas early, so you can have them repaired at lower cost instead of waiting until they become an emergency. Our roof inspections are free.
The team at Roof Experts has helped homeowners and businesses throughout North Texas with every sort of roofing problem, including heavy rain damage. We are CertainTeed certified, and we back our work with a 5-year labor warranty.
If you’re dealing with a leak after heavy rain, or you want to know more about the other services we offer, reach out to us or call (817) 754-9484 so we can make sure the roof over your head is well taken care of.