Repairing Leaking Roofs

Repairing a Leaking Roof Valley

The rainy season is here with us and by the look of things I am convinced that it is not letting go soon. Which calls for some measures to be taken where our roofs are concerned. So today we look at ways of dealing with a leaking roof valley.

Leakage in a roof valley usually occurs due to weathered panels, pan tiles or flashing which are not working properly. In any of the cases, you will have to replace some of the panels, pan tiles or slabs to mend the leak. Before starting to replace the withered material you will have to analyze the panels or tiles properly. Here are some of the steps to be followed when repairing a leaking roof valley.

Step 1 –Take Necessary Measures
When repairing the roof from leakage, you may also use the tiles or panels which are exactly the same as your previous panels or tiles. You should always chose thick, good quality tiles and panels. The pry bar should be used very smoothly; if you apply too much pressure with the pry bar, you may break additional panels or even the roof. This will end up in you having to make additional repairs. Proper placement of nails is extremely important so do not put the nails on the junction area. Make sure the nails are not too close to the roof valley since they may cause strain on the panels or tiles and hence they may break more easily.

Step 2 – Taking off the Withered Panels or Tiles
Now pull the withered panels that easily come off the roof. If the other good panels are surrounded by some withered panels, then you need to pull off the withered panels by uplifting the edges of the good panels or tiles. If the tiles or panels are fixed with the help of nails, you may use a pry bar to pop out the nails.

Step 3 – Placing the Flashing
Now place the metal flashing in its place and bend the edge of the flashing in a way so that it forms a corral which is about 25mm wide. The purpose of creating a corral is to ensure the flow of water, and the enclosure shape of the corral will enable water to easily flow down to the drain.

Step 4 – Finishing Up

Now, adjust the new panels in the valley area in such a way that they should be placed in the same direction as the already placed panels. The edges of the new panels may overlap the older ones, and for correcting that, just lift up the edges and insert 2 roofing nails on each top corner of all the new panels. Next, insert the nails with the help of a hammer. To finish your work, just adjust the overlapped panels into their respective places on the top of the new panels.

Fundi Mjanja.