Did a wet spot just appear on one of the ceilings in your home in the middle of a rainstorm? If so, there’s a decent chance you have a leak in your roof that’s allowing water to enter your attic and work its way down to your ceiling.
This is one of the most common roof problems homeowners face. You’ll want to reach out to a professional roofing company ASAP so that they can fix a leak for you.
But in the meantime, you’ll also want to figure out how to fix a leaking roof from the inside. It’ll stop a rainstorm from doing even more damage to your home than it already has.
If you haven’t ever dealt with this type of roof leak before, trying to fix it may intimidate you at first. But it’ll be easier to repair a roof leak from the inside than you might think.
Here is a guide on how to fix a leaking roof from the inside fast until professional roof care specialists show up on the scene.
Start by Draining Your Ceiling
If the wet spot on your ceiling is still on the smaller side, you might be able to get away with leaving it alone. You can worry about dealing with it later once you’ve figured out how to fix a leaking roof from the inside.
But if your ceiling is starting to bulge because of the standing water sitting on top of it, you should spring into action when it comes to dealing with it. In this case, you’ll want to place a bucket under it and poke a hole in the ceiling to drain it.
If you fail to do this, the standing water could start to spread to other parts of your ceiling. It’ll cause way more damage than it did initially.
You’re going to have to replace part of your ceiling anyway in most instances. So why not drain it to stop standing water from wreaking even more havoc on your home?
Find a Way to Get Into Your Attic
Once you’ve dealt with your ceiling, you’ll want to quickly move on to figuring out how to fix a leaking roof from the inside. You’ll obviously need to get access to your attic to accomplish this goal.
If you have a pull-down ladder somewhere in your home that you can use to get into your attic, it’ll be easy to access it. But if you don’t, you might have to run around on the upper level of your home to find an access panel for your attic or even create one yourself.
Either way, you shouldn’t hesitate to find the best way to get into your attic. The sooner you’re able to access it, the quicker you can fix a leak in your roof from the inside and stop it from sending water down towards your lower levels.
Be Careful While Walking Around in Your Attic
Walking around in your home’s attic might be more dangerous than you think. All it’ll take is one wrong step and your foot could go directly through your ceiling.
Your attic is going to be filled with supports that you can use to walk around in it. Don’t be afraid to watch every step you take to ensure your feet stay on these supports at all times.
You should also come equipped with a very bright flashlight so that you can see well while you’re walking around in your attic. This flashlight will also come in handy when you’re trying to find out where your roof is leaking.
Find Out Where Your Roof Is Leaking
It might seem like it’d be simple to figure out where your roof is leaking from once you get into your attic. But it might actually be a lot more challenging than you anticipated.
Because it’s going to be dark in your attic even during the daytime, you might not see where your roof is leaking at first. But by directing your flashlight in the general vicinity of where you think a leak might be located, you should be able to spot a leak eventually.
Use Durable Materials to Patch Your Roof Leak
When you fix a leak from the inside of your attic, you should keep in mind that you’re not going to be fixing it permanently. You’ll need to have a roofing company come out to your home to fix it in the right way once a rainstorm passes.
But for the time being, you should be able to find durable materials that will enable you to patch up a roof leak. If you happen to have a roofing shingle and some roofing tar around, you can utilize them to fix a leak in your roof from your attic.
You might even be able to get away with using something as basic as a wooden plank. Again, it isn’t going to be a long-term solution for a roof leak. But it should do the trick until you’re able to have a roofing company step in and take over.
Measure Where the Leak Is Located in Your Roof
After you finish patching up the leak in your roof, you might want to give some thought to trying to pinpoint where exactly the leak is on your roof. If possible, pull out a tape measure and take measurements to help reveal where the leak is located.
This might be useful information once a roofing company arrives to fix a leak in your roof. You’ll be able to tell them precisely where your roof is leaking so that they can focus on making roof repairs to that specific area.
Consider Placing a Tarp Over Your Roof Leak
Are you having a difficult time getting to the portion of your roof that’s leaking from the inside? Or did you try to figure out how to fix a leaking roof from the inside and come up empty?
You might think you’re all out of luck when it comes to stopping rainwater from getting into your home. But if you have a tarp lying around, you can use it to stop your roof from leaking for the moment.
If the rain is really coming down outside or, worse, if there is thunder and lightning going on, you might want to steer clear of walking around on your roof until the storm calms down. But if you’re able to safely get up on your roof, you can place a tarp over the portion of your roofing that’s leaking to keep rainwater away from it.
This tarp isn’t going to be a long-term fix for your leaky roof. But it might do enough to keep the inside of your home dry for at least a little while until you can get assistance from local roofers.
Arrange to Have a Roofing Company Fix a Leak
As we’ve tried to emphasize time and time again thus far, figuring out how to fix a leaking roof from the inside is not going to be the final solution to your roof problems. If you try to get away with fixing a roof leak like this, you’ll pay the price for it later.
Rather than taking the DIY approach to an important storm damage roof repair such as this one, you’ll need to reach out to a professional roofing company and ask them to lend a hand. Here are the steps you should take to track down a roofing company you can trust:
- Google “roofing companies near me” and make a list of your options
- Visit the websites for roofing companies and do your homework on them
- Read online reviews for roofing companies to see what others have to say about them
- Call around to different roofing companies to get roof repair quotes from them
- Find out which roofing companies are available to help you fix a leak in your roof ASAP
You’ll get excellent roof repair services at a price you can afford from a roofing company like Amenity Roofing & Siding. You won’t need to be concerned about trying to learn how to fix a leaking roof from the inside again anytime soon when you rely on us for roof repair services.
Think About Possibly Replacing Your Roof
If your roof is still on the newer side, you shouldn’t have to do roof replacement. Most roofs will last for at least 20 years, if not longer, so you should be able to hang onto your current roof without worrying about what might happen to it after you fix a leak in it.
But if you have an older roof or if you have a roof that’s been known to leak in the past, this will be a different story. In this case, you might want to look into the idea of putting a brand-new roof on your home.
Installing a new roof on your house will require you to make a sizable investment. But it might be well worth it to replace your roof rather than to continue to patch roof leaks all the time.
Amenity Roofing & Siding can provide you with a wide range of new roof options when you’re in the market for one. From asphalt shingle roofs to more advanced roofing systems, we have it all for those who need new roofs.
You’ll also be able to get an amazing warranty on most roofs so that you won’t have to worry about paying for roof repairs anytime soon. Installing a new roof could prove to be one of the best investments you ever make in your home.
Clean Up Any Lingering Damage Done Inside Your House
You’re obviously going to spend your fair share of time focusing on how to fix a leaking roof from the inside when your roof springs a leak. It might cause you to overlook the damage that has been done inside your home by a roof leak.
We already touched on how you’ll have to replace a portion of your ceiling in most cases when you have a roof leak. But you might also have to repair or replace things like insulation and supports in your attic as well.
If you don’t clean up standing water in your attic quickly enough, you might also discover mold and mildew growing in it in the aftermath of a roof leak. They can do a lot of damage themselves, and they can also cause all kinds of potentially dangerous health complications.
As you can see, you’ll need to be on the ball when it comes to cleaning up any damage done to your home by a roof leak. If you’re only concerned about fixing the leak in your roof, you might inadvertently turn a blind eye to other serious problems that are happening in your home.
A great roofing company like Amenity Roofing & Siding can make sure you don’t do this by pointing out problem areas to you as we see them while fixing your leaky roof.
Know How to Fix a Leaking Roof From the Inside
If you’ve had leaks in your roof before, you might already know how to fix a leaking roof from the inside. But if you’re new to doing it, you should use all the tips listed here to get the job done.
Your goal isn’t going to be to fix a leak in your roof for good. It’s just going to be to stop your roof from leaking for the moment until professional roofers arrive.
Do you need a trusted roofing company to handle roof problems for you in Naperville, IL or in one of the surrounding areas like Oswego, IL Sugargrove, IL, or Yorkville, IL? Contact us at Amenity Roofing & Siding now.
