Winter storms cause damage to homes. Roof maintenance is essential for poorly maintained roofs. The coating or sealing of a tile roof serves only one purpose — to make it look good. Tiles do not become ‘too porous’ and cause the roof to buckle or leak but it still important to carry out maintenance or service your roof.

“It is important to remember that insurance companies are now less likely to accept claims for storm damage where roofs have not been regularly maintained.”

If you are experiencing a leaky roof the most commons causes are:

• Cracked or broken tiles will make your roof more prone to leaking. With a large warehouse of second hand tiles, Permacoat replaces these tiles with a matching profile thus ensuring its exact fit.
• Tiles can be dislodged either by tradespersons or natural causes. Leaking is thereby caused as the displaced tiles do not interlock correctly.
• Ridge and Hip capping cement deteriorates and break away. If the capping is loose there is a possibility of becoming dislodged in heavy winds.
• Valley irons can become clogged with leaves and other debris. This causes water to overflow into other areas of the roof perhaps not designed to cope with an additional water load. The lips on the valley irons also flatten after time. This allows water to penetrate under the iron and possibly onto ceilings.
• Tile drainage or water channels blocked by moss, lichen or other dirt increases water volume and the possibility of overflow.
• Damaged or dislodged flashings around vents, chimneys, etc. may cause water to penetrate.
• Blocked gutters and downpipes may cause water to overflow into the eave cavity.
• Fretted tiles — this is a problem with clay tiles particularly when situated in close proximity to the coast or salt. The tiles fret or are eaten away from underneath. A trained specialist is best in this situation as the tiles, although they look strong from above, are weak particularly near the water channels and may collapse under tread.