Shingle roofs are usually easy to repair. At the marked leak, look for damaged, curved or deficient shingles. In any area where two surfaces meet and around each chimney or ventilation, look for breaks in the blinking or caulking or gaps in the roof cement lines.
If you can not see shingle damage or flashing in the spill area, you should call a professional Montclair roofer. The problem may be insufficient flashing or just deterioration of the shingle.
If you find evidence of shingle problems, the repairs are fairly straightforward. Curled shingles can be reconnected with asphalt roof cement or composite in pipes for use with a caulking gun. When the weather is hot, you can easily straighten the curled shingle. When the weather is cold, shingles becomes very fragile and must be softened before it can be smoothed out.
To soften a brittle shingle, carefully use a propane lens with a flame nozzle. Carefully apply the flame to the curled ends of the shingles. it should be warm enough to soften but not hot enough to catch fire. Then straighten the edges of the shingles.
To replace the shingle, generously apply roofing cement to the bottom. a good spoonful of cement in each corner is usually enough. Press the shingles firmly into place.
If shingle is torn, rotten or missing, it should be replaced with a new one. Any shingle that is lifted directly from the roof without effort are rotten and need to be replaced.
If you find a large area of rotten shingles, you may need a brand new roof. If so, consider calling a professional roofer. Otherwise, replace the damaged shingle with the remaining shingle from the previous roof installation.
If you can not find suitable shingles, you can do them with mismatch. In case of emergency, cut shingle-sized patches out of foil or copper.
To Replace Damaged Shingle roofs:
Step 1:
To remove the damaged shingles, lift the edges of the surrounding shingles and carefully remove the nails with the rod. Slide the old shingle. If loose or brittle roof cement is left under it, clean the scratch opening. When the shingle are thrown by a storm, remove any protruding nails left on the roof. Non-stick nails can remain in place.
Step 2:
To make it easier for the new shingles to slip into place, gently twist the back corners with a sharp knife.
Step 3:
Slide the new shingle into the gap, with its front end lined with shingle on each side and its rear end under shingle in a row above it.
Step 4:
Lift the corners of the overlapping shingles and fasten the top of the new shingles with 6d galvanized roof nails leading to each corner. Cover the nail heads with roofing cement and then smooth over the overlapping edges of the herpes.
If you are replacing rows of shingle, you only need to round the back corners where the top row meets the above line. Ridge shingle, tent-shaped shingle along the top of a roof, can be replaced in the same way. Overlap them along the ridge and over the shingle on both sides. Do not try to use flat shingle, you must use new ridge shingle. Cover the back of each new shingle with roofing cement before placing it in place.
Secure each corner of the shingles with a roofing pin and cover the nail heads with roofing cement
After replacing damaged shingles or if the shingles are not damaged, inspect the blinking chimney, blinking around vents or ventilation ducts, and any roof cement line where two surfaces meet.
If the flashing metal around a chimney or dormitory is not well caulked, fill the joints with roofing cement in a gun. Along joints sealed with roof cement line, apply roof cement with putty knife to areas that appear worn or cracked. Apply the cement freely, completely covering the disputed areas. If there are blinking exposed nail heads, cover them with roofing cement.
Flat roofs and terraces have their own unique set of leak problems – and unique ways to address these issues. Read the previous article for helpful repair roof leaks in these types of roofs.