My Roof is Leaking! Is a Leaking Roof an Emergency?

With the Irish storm season in full swing, your roof will be coming under serious pressure over the next few months – but what makes a problem with your roof an emergency? When a storm hits, the wind picks up, rain starts pouring and before you know it, you get a leak coming through your bedroom ceiling.

No matter how big or small a leak might seem – it’s a roofing emergency. A small leak can soon develop into a big problem, and a big leak can quickly lead to a lot of water damage to your home.

With years of experience in emergency roof repairs in Dublin, D.Hennessy Roofing is here to help. If you need assistance straight away, give us a call on (01) 830 4004.

My roof’s leaking! What do I do?

When your roof is leaking, there are a few things you can do to minimise damage, keep costs down and help prevent any future leaks.

Safety First

If there’s water flooding through your roof and creating a lake in your home, you’ll need to turn off your electric supply first. If there’s a severe storm going on, do not try to get on your roof to check for damage.

2. Stop Water Spreading

If the leak isn’t letting in an uncontrollable flow of water, put empty containers under any streams or drips of water. It’s a good idea to put old towels, sheets or clothes down around the containers to catch any splashes or overflow.

Water trickling across the ceiling/down the wall? Try pinning a long piece of string onto the ceiling next to the source of the water, leaving the end piece in your bucket/container. This will give the water a guide straight into the bucket. If the paint on your wall looks like its bubbling, it could be trapping water – hold a container next to it and puncture the bubble, leaving excess water out.

If the water’s coming in too quickly for these steps, you need to call a licensed roofing contractor in straight away – we offer a FREE 24-hour emergency roofing service in Dublin.

3. Stop Further Water Damage

Figure out which room(s) are affected by the leak and cover any of your furniture/valuables/electronics with a plastic covering. If the leak is letting in a lot of water quickly and it’s starting to pool on the floor, make sure to move anything important that is likely to get submerged and damaged.

4. Remove The Rainwater

Got the flow of water under control? Now’s the time to start the clear up process. Depending on the extent of the water level in your home, you can either clean up the excess yourself or hire a professional water extraction company.

You’ll need to dry everything out thoroughly, including: all your furniture and possessions, carpet, under flooring, woodwork and walls. The quicker you can get everything dry, the less likely the chance of dangerous mould growing.

5. Notify Your Insurance Company

If you have home insurance, you’ll need to call them and tell them about the damage to your home. The sooner you start the long process of claiming on home insurance, the better. You’ll need to figure out exactly what is and isn’t covered on your insurance policy.

6. Get Your Roof Fixed

Now the damage is minimised, you can get your roof fixed. Make sure you hire a fully licensed and insured roofing company – you want to get your roof repaired once, so get it done right the first time.

Always make sure to:

Get quotes from a few roofing companies

Make sure your contractor is licensed and fully insured

Be sure your chosen roofer locates and repair all wood damage before re-roofing

Get specific maintenance instructions for your new roof from your roofing company

Know the full details of your new roof’s guarantee

You can check out our full guide to hiring the right roofing company for you here.

Remember: Do not let any roofing work start before you’re completely comfortable with the scope of the work, the timeline and the price your roofing company has provided. Always get the work agreed in writing.

7. Prevent Future Roof Leaks

The power of nature and the unexpected storms during Ireland’s long winters cannot be prevented, but you can do your best to maintain your roof’s general health.

Keep trees trimmed – Get rid of any low-hanging tree limbs around your property as they can scrape and damage your roof’s surface. In high winds, loose branches can also come off and cause significant damage.

Maintain your chimney flashing – Smaller roof leaks can be caused by missing or cracked chimney flashing or pipe collars. Make sure your roof’s more vulnerable points are fully functioning, sometimes a simple roofing tar repair will do the job.

Get your guttering cleaned – If your gutters get clogged up with leaves, dirt and debris, water will build up.

A roofing emergency can be an absolute nightmare, but with a reliable and responsive roofing contractor supporting you, it doesn’t have to be a headache.

D.Hennessy offers a FREE emergency roofing repair call out service in Dublin. Just call us today on (01) 830 4004 or request a free call back here.