If you find multiple rusted nails in your attic's ceiling, you may wonder why and if there's anything you can do about it. You may actually have a water leak in your roof. If water or humid air enters your attic through the roof, it can corrode the nails in your attic's ceiling. Rusted nails aren't the only problems a leaking roof can cause in your home. Learn how a leaking roof can corrode the nails in your attic below.
Why Did the Nails in Your Attic Rust?
If you expose nails and other types of hardware to air and water for long periods of time, they rust. Rust is a byproduct of a chemical reaction called corrosion. Corrosion tends to occur over an extended period of time. The rusted nails in your roof could be the result of a long-standing leak in your roof.
Roof leaks can go unnoticed for a long time before they make their presence known. The most common sign of a roof leak is water. The attic is one of the first places water enters once it passes through the damaged structures on a roof. The water will settle on things inside the attic, including the nails in your ceiling. If water or moisture remains on the nails for a long period of time, they'll slowly corrode and rust.
Rusted nails aren't the only problems you may experience from a leaking roof. If the water in your attic makes its way into the rest of your home, it will cause extensive problems for you. The best way to keep your attic and house free of problems is to fix your leaking roof.
How Do You Repair Your Attic and Roof?
First, call a residential roofing contractor and schedule an inspection of your attic and roof. A contractor will need to see the nails in your attic firsthand before they can proceed further. If the rusted nails are a sign of something else other than a leaking roof, such as a high humidity or condensation, a roofer will suggest you replace the insulation in your attic. Your attic may need better insulation to keep the room dry.
If the nails are a sign of a leaking roof, a contractor will schedule the repairs you need for it. A roofer will visually assess the surface of your roof to see if it contains:
- missing shingles
- damaged sheathing
- broken gutters
Any of the problems above can make your roof leak. If a contractor does find any of the issues above, they'll repair them.
Learn more about the rusted nails in your attic and how they could cause a roof leak by contacting a roofing contractor today.
When you have something you like inside a jar, you probably put a lid on it — right? In a way, you can think of your house in the same manner. You like and value the items inside, along with the inside of the house itself. So, it only makes sense that you would protect the interior of your home with a lid. That lid is your roof.
Keep that perspective in mind as you read this blog. Learning more about roofing will feel more interesting if you remember what a roof does: it protects the inside of the home and the people who live in it.