What’s the Difference Between a Patch and a Repair?
Posted on Tuesday, February 15th, 2022 at 2:44 pm
Have you ever gone into a seldom-used room in your home or business and found an unwanted surprise? You look up and see what appears to be some type of water leak in your ceiling. Before you panic, check where the nearest water pipes are located. Inspect them to see if they are leaking. In some cases, you might have to call a plumber if the pipes are not easily accessible.
Once you have determined that there are no leaking pipes in the area of the water stain, the next suspect should be the roof. It’s possible that it is damaged and is the cause of the stain. If you don’t feel comfortable getting up on the roof yourself to look for damage, a professional roof repair and replacement contractor can help you out.
Don’t wait too long to check your roof after you have water stains or a ceiling that is caving. You never know when a severe storm, a hurricane, or worse will come along, leaving all or part of the ceiling on the floor.
At the same time, don’t over-react before you know what the problem is, or assume that you will have to replace the entire roof at great expense. After you inspect it, you may find that you just need to patch or repair it.
Do You Need a Patch or Repair Job?
If you have neglected to have your roof inspected by a professional on a regular basis, perhaps yearly, your issues may still be corrected before they cause extensive damage to the entire roof and/or the home or business it protects. Hopefully, only portions of your roof will need patching or repair. The differences between the two are these. Patch jobs encompass only a small area of the roof and require a relatively simple fix with just a few steps. Repair jobs often encompass restoring roof components that are more complex, require more steps to complete, and/or involve a larger portion of the roof.
How Is Repairing a Roof Different from Patching It?
While replacing a few damaged or missing shingles in a small area of your roof is a relatively easy patch job that you might manage on your own, there are more extensive problems when the best solution is to contact a roofing professional to do the repairs.
Here are some common roof issues to be aware of, all of which can eventually damage the entire roof if you don’t repair them:
- Granules clogging gutters and/or downspouts: If your roof is not new you may notice that granules, which shield shingles from UV rays, are falling off of the surface of your shingles and obstructing water flow in your gutters and downspouts. The shingles are also going to crack from losing the protective granules, so you need to replace them. Prior to replacing the shingles, clean out your gutters and downspouts.
- Loose or cracked flashing: Flashing is metal that protects various parts of the roof including vent pipes, chimneys, skylights, and dormers from leaks and water damage. Damaged flashing needs to be replaced. This may involve removing shingles to access it, so this type of repair is a multi-level process.
- Pooling or ponding water: Water can pool or pond, especially on a flat roof. To check for pooling water, clean out the debris from your gutters, and then inspect the roof for pooling or standing water. This water may become moldy and mildewed, resulting in extensive roof damage over time. A contractor can create sloped areas on your roof to ensure adequate drainage.
Call a Qualified Roofer for Inspection, Patching, and Repairs
If you notice ceiling damage, peeling or broken shingles, or inadequate water drainage from gutters or downspouts, you probably have damage somewhere on your roof. Don’t wait until it deteriorates to the point where you have to replace it.
The highly experienced team at Kidd Roofing is waiting and ready to assess your roof’s condition and to make any repairs you might need before they become major issues. Kidd Roofing has been repairing, and, if needed, replacing all types of roofs, both residential and commercial, for forty years. Our team is skilled at working with you on insurance claims, too. Call (866) 671-7791, or fill out our online form for a free estimate before a patch or repair job morphs into a catastrophe.
