Oh, the Pain from the Rain!

'Tis the season…of pain from the rain!

A leaking roof is one of the last things any of us wants to deal with. Indeed, discovering signs that your roof is leaking can be a dreaded moment, especially in the middle of a storm.

Problem is, even leaks that appear minor at first glance can reveal a host of underlying problems. For this reason, whether large or small, leaks are best addressed promptly, before they have a chance to develop even more damage.

In order to get a handle on the most efficient, and pain-free, way to get things under control, we've developed a series of steps to help safeguard your Eichler's flat roof, make the situation more manageable, and most importantly, put a solution in sight.

Number one: protect furnishings. Move or cover furnishings and valuables with a waterproof tarp, direct leaking water into a bucket, and soak up any standing water, particularly on wood floors.

"Attempt to contain the water and mitigate the damage, depending on where it's coming from, through capturing the water, whether in a bowl or with a towel," advises roofing veteran Gary Harvey, president of Wedge Roofing, who re-roofs Eichlers in Marin and San Francisco.

Taking that extra step, he says, will go a long way towards "minimizing the damage, and eliminating the expense and hassle associated with secondary damage."

Number two: call an expert. A professional roofing company has the tools to help and keep you safe through an emergency. For safety's sake, avoid climbing up onto the roof yourself, and wait for the roofing company to arrive.

"Typically, we dispatch an emergency repair crew in two hours to stop the leak," says Harvey, "after hours or weekends in four hours. And as we never know what roofing system we're running into, materials used in inclement weather are effective in stopping the leak but have a short lifespan."

Number three: pinpoint possible causes. Look for a broken tree branch that may have punctured your roof, a clogged rain gutter, or a leaking skylight.

"We start in the immediate area of the leak and kind of fan out," says Harvey. "On a roof at the end of its life expectancy, there can be multiple contributing sources."

"I think it was [the principle called] Occam's razor that says, if you have a lot of ideas floating around, it's usually the simplest, most obvious, that is usually the cause," he adds.

"Polyurethane foam roofs require specialized knowledge and equipment for repair," advises Trevor Hill, CEO of Dura-Foam Roofing & Solar Center, whose company, based in Menlo Park, can assess damage to foam applications and recommend appropriate repairs. Foam is Abril Roofing's specialty too.