How Does Water Penetrate a Roof?

Anyone who has ever dealt with a roof knows that water can cause a lot of damage in any system. While most roofs, whether it’s sloped or flat roofing, are designed to protect your home against water, they themselves are not 100% invulnerable to the problems that water can cause.

Protecting your roof against water-related issues involves understanding the ways water can penetrate your roof. This allows you to reinforce the vulnerable areas and can help make your roof last longer. Let our experts at Done-Right Roofing & Sheet Metal Ltd. explain the most common sources of water penetration problems in roofing systems.

The Edges of Your Roof

Whatever type of roof you have, whether it’s an asphalt shingle roof or a metal roofing system, it’s likely to have edges and overhangs. Water can sneak around these edges and slowly make its way inside the structure of the roof. You can prevent this from happening by installing drip flashing and soffit panels to allow water to flow safely away from the overhangs instead of getting into your roof.

Roofing Accessories

Structures that penetrate your roof like dormers, chimneys, and skylights will expose a little bit of the roofing structure at its borders. These are particularly dangerous because unlike your eaves and rafters, these drain directly into the roofing system itself, causing leaks and other sorts of similar problems in your home. Make sure your roofers cover these areas up with proper flashing to avoid water-related problems.

Through the Roof Itself

Asphalt shingles are meant to be water-proof but they are not designed to withstand constant exposure to standing water. Over time, water can penetrate the shingles directly and spread throughout the roof, causing massive damage that requires immediate roof repair service. Clogged gutters can make water stay long enough on a roof for this to happen so make sure you always keep your gutters clean and clear of any obstructions.

At Done-Right Roofing & Sheet Metal Ltd., we can help you keep your roof safe against water penetration and water-related problems. Give us a call at (905) 875-2888 or fill out our contact form to schedule a consultation and request a free estimate today.