Cracked or broken roof tiles should be attended to without delay, advises Leeds roofing company DPR. For roof repairs anywhere in the Leeds area, DPR Roofers (Leeds) Ltd can be relied upon to provide a first class professional roofing service. However, if you prefer to tackle a small job yourself, DPR offers the following advice to Leeds homeowners:

To fix a very small crack or damaged patch in a roof tile, first clean the area with a wire brush, then fill the crack or hole with plastic roofing cement.

To replace a cracked, broken or missing tile, first lever up the tiles directly above the damaged area. If any parts of the remaining damaged tiles are too large to easily remove, break them carefully, so that they can be prised out. Remove any nails. Spread roofing cement onto the underside of the new replacement tiles, slide up into place and press firmly. These tiles will be held in place by the adhesive, rather than by nails.

If the damaged or faulty area is more extensive than two or three tiles, it may be time to call in professional roofers DPR, who have 20 years’ experience in roofing services throughout the Leeds area.

Leaks may be more difficult to fix yourself. Firstly, DPR advises that the leak inside the building may not occur exactly underneath the faulty part of the roof. The water may be entering the roof, and running down through the roof void, to appear at a weak point lower down. To identify the position of the leak, you may need to go up into the roof void, or loft, to look along the roof supports for signs of damp or damage higher up the roof than where the water is appearing to drip. You may be able to see light through a small hole, or tracks of water. If so, mark the position of the hole with a nail, or similar, so that you can identify it from the roof. The leak will almost certainly be caused by a damaged area in the roofing membrane underneath the tiles or slates, and may not be obvious from the outside. You may need to lift the tiles to repair the damaged membrane with roofing cement.

All work on roofs carries an element of risk due to the difficulties of working at height, and Leeds Roofers DPR advise that the safest option may be to call in the professionals, even for a very small roof repair, while a larger repair should certainly be referred to an experienced roofer.

For further advice about problems with your roof, or to make an appointment for a roof repair, telephone Leeds roofers DPR Roofing on 0113 3470918.