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Roofing Leaks May Be Your Biggest Water Damage Source

Water damage can come from many places in your home or business, and the most common assumption is that water damage and mold growth comes from flooding, but this is not always the case. Most roofing systems are simple and easy to maintain, but little things can cause small and slow leaks that can cause more long term water damage than you might have ever imagined. It only takes a small dripping leak from improperly installed or damaged flashing and you can have thousands of dollars of damage to your home or business in a relatively short period of time.

An example would be the flashing around a chimney that only leaks when you have rain that is associated with winds out of the south. The blowing wind and the rain may allow the water to slip into your roof structure and may only wet the rafters or trusses and never get past the insulation or drywall. You may never know it is happening unless you inspect your attic regularly. This makes it a good idea to inspect your attic at least twice a year for the slow and hidden leaks.

Once you have these small leaks, the wood stays wet and then starts the process of rotting. Just the rot alone could cause thousands in work just on the roof structure alone. Then you have to throw in the possibility of inviting in termites from have moist and soft wood for them to munch on. Then you can throw in the factor of mold growth that could spread like wildfire throughout the rest of the structure of the home or business.

Water damage alone can weaken the strength of the wood, compromising the structural integrity of the entire building from the top down. Water damage on the top parts of your structure only stands to make the entire structure pay a price if the problem is not taken care of quickly. It only takes a few months to create enough damage that you could have to rebuild your entire roof structure. But if it is left alone and continues to leak, you could end up replacing insulation, the structure of the roof, drywall, and maybe even the wall structures themselves.

Then termites as mentioned above can play a part in this. Termites love soft moist wood, so this is a major feast to them if you allow the wood in your home or business to remain wet or continue getting wet. This can affect your entire structure and cost tens of thousands, not counting the headaches and heartache that goes with dealing with them. We also mentioned the potential of toxic or black mold growing. This mold can feed on drywall, insulation, wood and hundreds of other food sources that your home is built with. Black mold can cause some serious health problems, including heart disease and even death. Stop leaks before they shut your home or business down and put your family, customers, and bank account on the run.

About the Author

Rachel Yoshida is a writer of many topics, visit some of her sites, like Rochester Water Damage and syracuse Water Damage .

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