The sight and sound of water dripping in your lounge room is a horrible feeling and climbing onto your roof to find the source when it’s raining is definitely NOT recommended!
So, how do you prevent being in this situation?
A client was recently in a situation where it was raining heavily, and water started coming through the ceiling into their lounge room. They contacted Essendon Plumbing Services for help, and we responded immediately.
After assessing the situation over the phone and inspecting the property through the Nearmaps App, we noted it was a 2-storey home and with heavy rain persisting, it was too dangerous for a plumber to access the roof at the time.
We suggested to place a waterproof tarp under the area with a bucket to prevent further damage from occurring and as the rain was forecast to clear in the afternoon, we would contact the client as soon as it stopped to carry out a roof inspection. The client agreed and was asked a series of COVID-19 health questions, which they answered NO to all, so the booking could be made.
Plumber Arrives
We arrived at the home and our plumber asked the client the same series of COVID-19 health questions they were asked by our admin team. Our plumber was happy with the response and proceeded into their home and saw the water stains on the downstairs lounge room ceiling. Our plumber then went into the backyard, set up and secured the ladder to access the first level flat roof.
Roof Inspection Carried Out
After completing an inspection of all gutters, roof and flashing, there were no visible signs of damage to the first storey flat roof. So, we proceeded to inspect the second storey roof area.
The rain-head to the second storey was full of bird droppings and dirt (see photo left) with a large weed matt and weeds growing through (see photo right). After inspecting the remainder of the second storey roof, the plumber believed the leak was caused by the blocked rain-head, which was preventing water from discharging into the storm water system and was causing the roof area to hold water and flood.
Cleaning & Testing the Blocked Rain-Head
The rain-head, gutters and downpipe to the second level roof were cleaned and tested.
Our plumber then completed an inspection to the remainder of the home, removed a minor amount of build up from other gutters and deemed the roof to be in good order.
Roof leaks in Melbourne can be difficult to locate at times and often it’s not until the next rain fall that we can be sure the problem has been fixed. So, we asked the client, prior to carrying out ceiling repairs, to wait until the next rain came to be sure. We do test with water from a garden hose, but it never provides the same volume of water as a natural downpour.
A week later the client contacted us after some heavy rain to say the leak had stopped.
Another happy Essendon Plumbing Services client.
How to Prevent Roof leaks?
Preventative Roof Maintenance! We understand it never seems a priority to have your roof, gutters and downpipes checked and the thought of spending money on something you can’t see isn’t very appealing, but a small investment now will save you money in the long term.
Leaking roofs and gutters can cause extensive damage to ceilings, walls, floors and furniture in a very short period of time. The build-up of leaves, dirt, grass growing, birds’ nests and tennis balls all cause roof leaks, so be sure to have your roof check completed before the winter and spring rain hits Melbourne.
We recommend having your gutters and downpipes cleaned 4 times a year, but as winter approaches this is the definitely not to miss.
Contact Essendon Plumbing
Essendon Plumbing Services have been maintaining, repairing and replacing metal roofing materials for homes in Melbourne for over 30 Years. So, call us on 1300 193 298 and we will send one of our experienced and registered roof plumbers to inspect and repair your roof and gutters.