April 18 2016
Rain can be a great thing…until it gets inside your home. Most of us start to panic when we hear the “drip-drip” of our uninvited guest. But before you start having visions of being washed away with the rain, there are a couple of steps you can take right away. Use these helpful tips until you can get a professional to your home for repairs.

What do you do when you have a leak?

Poke a Hole
Leaks will first pool at the ceiling and try to find an exit anywhere they can. Find the wettest spot and poke a small hole in it letting the water through. Make sure you place a bucket under the water though. This will minimize ceiling damage and costs later on.

Search and Find
Go to the attic to find the leak. But remember that the dripping from the room might not align with the attic spot if the roof is layered with plywood.

Quick Fix
You can easily apply roofing cement or roofing tape to the inside roof in the attic or on the roof itself if you’re feeling adventurous. However, the most common tactic is placing a tarp over the leaky part of the roof. Tarps have holes for tethering and securing in place. Thread some rope through those holes and fasten to a sturdy object like a tree or anything that can withstand strong winds.

Before you sound the alarm on a leak, you can quickly use these methods for a temporary fix. Just by covering up the leak you will save money on repairs in the long run. However, make sure you call a roofer to professionally repair the leak since this is a short-term fix!