Patching a Roof Leak Until You Can Call a Professional

Roof leaks can be a real pain. They’re impossible to ignore for even a day if you get one, and while placing a bucket on the floor is a good fail-safe for some, it’s not efficient. It always pays to call a professional as soon as you notice signs of a leak. However, just in case your roofing professional has a backlog of jobs and they can’t get to you right away, this handy article will give you some tips to temporarily patch up that leak until you can get it properly fixed.

Patch the roof leak from inside

Fixing the leak from inside your home is the first thing you want to do to temporarily fix a leak, as it will help prevent any interior damage. A roof leak is often only noticeable once you start to feel water falling through your ceiling, so the age-old trick of getting a bucket is still a good idea here.

A more effective way of using the bucket method is to use it to drain all the water that will have pooled in your attic. This will prevent the damage to your ceiling from spreading. How do you do this? The trick here is to get a nice big bucket with some wheels, such as your curbside rubbish bin. You will be able to see a bulge in your ceiling. Placing your bin right under the centre of the bulge, and drilling a hole there will allow the water to drain better.

It may sound counterproductive to put a hole in your ceiling, but this method will prevent any further damage to your house.

Find the source in the attic

If you’re on-to-it, you can see visible signs of a roof leak even before it starts to leak into your living room. At the first signs of roof leakage, water will pool in the attic from an exterior leak, causing your ceiling to begin to bulge before a leak forms inside your home. If you can catch it at this point, it’s a good idea to clear the water out of your attic. Try to (carefully) get up into your attic with a mop and a dehumidifier to dry out the area. This can be extremely beneficial to prevent damage to your ceiling.

To stop water from pooling again, you are going to want to get a bucket and place it underneath the source. Don’t place your bucket directly onto the drywall of your ceiling, as this is probably damp and may become further damaged as the bucket fills up. A good idea is instead to place a piece of wood across the ceiling frame that can hold your bucket in the right place.

Advanced method: to the roof

It doesn’t take an expert to tell you that getting up on to the roof will be the most effective method of stopping a roof leak, but you should be aware that it should only be done as a last resort and only if you have safety measures in place (and a little bit of confidence). Make sure you have other people around to help before you try to climb your way up to the roof. Tie your ladder to the siding to secure it and wear shoes with rubber soles for a good grip.

The easiest way to DIY a temporary fix is simply to take a tarpaulin that fits across the damaged area, making sure it goes along your roof—from the eave to the ridge. Secure the tarp with some 2x4s and some staples.

Roofing professionals you can trust

If you have a roof leak, the most effective method of fixing it is to call in the professionals. At Paul Milne, we have the right skills and tools to fix your leaks so that they don’t come back. To get someone on the job as soon as possible, contact us today.