If your home develops a leaky roof, your inclination might be to deal with the immediate and highly visible effects. Maybe you’ll tuck a bucket under the drip in the attic space and put off the repair until later. After all, if the water is contained, what’s the worst that can happen, right?
As tempting as it might be to delay action on a leaky roof, the reality of the situation calls for more immediate steps. Here’s what can happen if you put off repairing a leaky roof.
Attic Space Damage
Anything in your attic space is at risk. The structure itself and anything you have stored up there could suffer damage from the moisture. The drip that you contain might be the first of many. The flow of the incoming water could shift and land on a boxed of valuable storage. Because you don’t see the items stored away in the attic space on a regular basis, you are likely to discover the leaky roof’s farther reaching effects too late to save the items.
Insulation Damage
If the drips aren’t ruining attic storage space, they might be damaging insulation instead. A little moisture goes a long way to compromising the effectiveness of attic insulation, especially blown insulation. The water will compress the material, leading to a loss in efficiency.
Higher Energy Bills
Any damage to insulation will lead to increased utility bills. That problem becomes an ongoing, month-to-month expense caused by a simple leaky roof. Add to that monthly cost the cost of insulation replacement and the price tag gets higher and higher.
Mold, Mildew, and Rot
The longer moisture sticks around the greater the likelihood of mold and mildew growth. If you allow the leak to persist for long enough, that damaging moisture will find its way down into the ceilings and walls of your home’s living spaces. Mold and mildew growth there can lead to long-term health issues.
The wood of the roof’s structure will eventually rot if exposed to abundant moisture over time. That rotting wood will need to be replaced entirely to ensure the integrity of the whole roof.
Repair Costs Add Up
As you can see, ignoring a leaky roof can result in a domino effect of damage that will ultimately lead to very costly repairs of multiple components. Better to deal with the leaky roof as soon as you discover it to avoid much larger issues further down the road.
Contact Us
If you know that you have a leaky roof, or if you just want to explore your options for roof repair or replacement, contact us at J. A. Edwards of America.