Can a leaky roof cause mold? In a word, yes. The problem with a leaky roof is that it introduces moisture to the inside of your home. This moisture gets into places that were never meant to be wet. This moisture also activates in mold spores that are in your home.
You may not realize it, but there are a lot of mold spores all around you just waiting to come into contact with water so that they can activate. Before you start planning on ways to get rid of the mold spores in your home, don’t waste your time because you aren’t going to be successful.
Mold spores are everywhere and eliminating them is impossible. What is possible though is keeping moisture from getting in your home, which will result in those mold spores turning into actual mold.
A Leaky Roof Causes Mold To Spread Quickly
If the roof of your home is leaking it’s not a matter of if you’ll end up with a mold problem, it’s a matter of when you’ll end up with a mold problem. If you think that a small leak isn’t that big of a problem, keep in mind that mold spores can become active within only a few days of being exposed to water.
This is what makes a leaky roof such a major problem. In many cases, you may not even be aware that your roof is damaged and leaky.
That means that you could have mold spreading in your home and not even be aware of it!
What Should You Do If You Suspect You Have A Leaky Roof?
If you think that your roof may be leaking you need to act quickly. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away, and the longer you wait the worse the problem will be. The sooner you have a leaky roof fixed the less extensive the mold and water damage will be. So, if you think your roof is leaky, act right away.
What do you do then? You call a professional out to inspect your roof and make any necessary repairs. What don’t you do? You don’t try to find the leak yourself. You also don’t hire a handyman to do it for you.
Sure, saving money by hiring a handyman now may seem like a good idea, but it really isn’t. Not only will a handyman likely not do as good of a job, but a handyman could also actually end up costing you a lot of money.
What happens if the handyman you hire damages your home while they are inspecting your roof? You’ll have to pay for it. What happens if they take your money and run? Once again, you’ll have to pay for it.
What happens if they get hurt? You’ll pay for it? Have you noticed the pattern here yet? Hiring a handyman may seem like a good idea, but in the end, it could end up costing you far more money.
On the other hand, when you hire a licensed, bonded, and insured professional you don’t have to worry about these risks. Their insurance will cover them in the event of damaged property, or an injury one of their workers suffers while working on your property.
Hiring a professional company won’t just get you better quality work, it will also help to protect you financially in the event of any type of accident.
What Problems Does Mold Cause?
Since a leaky roof can cause mold to grow in your home you are probably wondering what kinds of problems mold can cause.
Mold can damage the materials in your home, which will necessitate mold remediation, and possibly removal and repair of the damaged parts of your home.
If this sounds expensive, that’s because it is expensive. The cost to remove mold from a home and repair any of the materials that were damaged by the mold can easily run into the thousands and even tens of thousands of dollars.
In addition to being very damaging to your home, mold can cause a lot of health problems for anyone exposed to it as well.
Mold can cause asthma, allergies, various respiratory problems, and possibly even immune system disorders. In other words, you definitely do not want to be breathing mold in for any length of time.
Being Proactive Is The Best Approach
Can a leaky roof cause mold? It can, and that’s why it’s better to be proactive. How can you be proactive? You can start by paying attention to your roof and ensuring that you don’t notice any problems.
You also need to ensure that any rain gutters on your roof are kept clean and are in good working order. One of the most common causes of a leaky roof is damaged or clogged rain gutters causing water to seep in through the shingles.
What other issues can cause a roof to leak? Normal aging which results in the shingles of a roof wearing down can cause your roof to leak. Damage from a storm, such as a falling tree branch can also cause your roof to leak.
There are many different ways your roof can wear down or suffer damage, and each one of them can cause your roof to leak. That’s why it is so important that you remain vigilant, and that you pay attention to the condition of your home.
What else can you do to be proactive? You can hire a professional roofer to come out and inspect your roof periodically. The cost of having a professional inspect your roof annually is minimal when you compare it with the cost of paying for mold damage caused by a leaky roof.
Make sure that when you call someone to come out and inspect your roof that they are a licensed, bonded and insured professional.
You should also take the time to do a little research on them and find out if they have a history of satisfied customers. A history of satisfied customers is usually an indicator of a company that will treat you right.
