Home leaks can be extremely expensive, especially when you’re contending with South Carolina’s fickle weather. Property owners whose Charleston roofing or siding isn’t keeping moisture and air out can generally count on expensive repairs and long-term damage unless they take immediate action.
Even if you’ve already had your leaks repaired, one of the best ways to prevent future recurrences of such problems is to get an idea of how they actually occur. There are many mechanisms and phenomena that lead to physical breaches; these basics will help you learn about a few of the most common.
Although the region is known for its temperate climate, water can still freeze during the colder months. If it breaches your shingle underlayment before doing so, this water could subsequently form an ice dam that creates undue pressure and forces the layers of your roof or fascia apart. Such situations usually lead to an even more severe widening of the leak that let the water gain entry in the first place, and you’ll most likely notice the presence of water inside your attic after the ice has built up.
Of course, ice dams aren’t the only factors that can contribute to seasonal leakage. During tropical storm season, you may notice that the wood beams and surfaces in your attic are soaked even though you never saw water pooling or building up anywhere. This usually means that the wind that forced the rain to fly at an angle also allowed it to enter your attic via the layers beneath your shingles.