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How do I know if my roof leak needs urgent repair? (aussie.zone)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/ama@aussie.zone
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I first spotted a faint stain on the ceiling after a light shower and didn’t think much of it. But after a recent storm here, the stain darkened and spread, and I noticed a slow drip in the kitchen. I placed a bucket under it, but now I’m worried. Our tiled roof is over a decade old. I’ve heard small leaks can lead to serious damage if left alone. It doesn’t seem major yet, but it’s clearly getting worse. Am I overthinking it or is it time to call in a professional?

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[–] 9 points 1 year ago

You don't want to fuck around with roof leaks get that shit fixed asap

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    [–] 6 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    Tiled roofs can be easy to fix especially if you have spare tiles, but you can also do repairs with silicone and/or flashtac. You'll find that the two main difficulties are accessing the roof and finding the source of the leak. If you're handy and willing to take on the (not insignificant) risk of getting on your roof you could consider doing it yourself, but otherwise you should get a professional to have a look at it.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    Finding the leak can be really hard. Water can travel quite a ways from its initial ingress point.

    Never had a tiled roof, but I had an old house with a box gutter and it took replacing the entire roof and lining the gutter with rubber to stop the leak.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    ^ This! Worked at a place that had a roof leak, there was a pipe in the false ceiling and the water leaked onto the pipe, then ran the length of the pipe dropping off at random points.

    So we had this line of brown spots on the ceiling tiles, it looked like the whole roof was leaking, but it was just one leak following the pipe.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago*

    Tell me about it. I've fixed my fair share of leaky roofs and sometimes you just make an educated guess and hope. I hate getting up into the ceiling but sometimes it's the only way to trace the water from the end point to the source. With tiled roofs however, it can be nice and obvious with something like a cracked tile or a tile that's shifted out of place.

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    • [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    If it stays wet it's possible the structural wood can get moldy and rot especially if it's warm. Patching the roof would be much cheaper than fixing anything structural. If the roof still looks like it's in decent shape id just patch the leak, they usually can go 20+ years between replacement. But it might be a good idea to get a look in the attic to see if it has been leaking longer than you've thought.

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    [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    its past time to call a professional! any leak can cause issuea. Water damaged buildings can cause health issues too.

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    [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    If it's leaking through, to a point where you need a bucket, yeah, time for a pro.

    The hole in your roof is leaking on to the surface above the ceiling, which is saturated and now leaking through the ceiling.

    Rot and mold are going to follow. You need to fix the roof AND everything hit by the water.

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