Roof Leak? When in doubt - flood test!

If you have been in the roofing business longer than a month, you have probably had to chase a leak. If you never have.....

Drum roll please..... the following are 8.5 steps that occur on 91.45% of  leak calls.

1. Your customer calls you because they have a roof leak.

2. You or your repair crews respond and repair an area.

3. You bill your customer.

4. It rains again.

5. Your customer calls you because they have a leak. (Hey wait - that sounds a lot like #1)

6. You or your repair crews respond and repair an area. (Deja Vu #2)

7. You bill your customer - AGAIN!

8. You either eat the cost involved with the first or second response - OR - You have an uncomfortable discussion with your client about why you responded and billed 2 times for the same leak.

8.5. You feel terrible and have to re-establish your credibility with your client in some way.

Let's take a step back... Take a breath. What can we do to avoid this from happening again? Perform a flood test!

Typically, the cost to perform a flood test is less than the cost for the initial leak call. AND - it is easier to schedule.

Another great benefit to flood tests - YOU pick when the roof leaks! What if the roof leaks on a day when it is raining and 10 other calls come in first? Which one do you go to first? How do you make this decision?

Some might say that flooding a roof sounds crazy - Why would I deliberately flood a roof and make it leak? Aren't we in business because we provide a leak-free building?

Others would argue it is crazy to wait for a roof to leak to fix it!

Now I know this is oversimplifying roof leaks, and things rarely happen like this in the "real world". But I think the more times you exercise this option. The better off you will be! Ask your trainer or other experienced professionals in this industry. The most successful people do these often! It is always best practice to pinpoint a leak and repair and reinforce that area as necessary to avoid any further roof leaks or other concerns associated with water intrusion.

- Tommaso Costanzo, CDT, RRO, LEED Green Associate