Small leaks can cause big problems during El Nio
This round of winter storms has had some homeowners discovering leaks in roofs and windows.
Phones have been ringing off the hook at California Window & Door in Palm Desert. With El Nio storms dumping water for days across the Coachella Valley people have been calling with leaky windows and doors looking for repairs.
“The biggest thing is you want to make sure the area is dry, you don’t want to be using any type of silicone because that breaks down easily out here. You want to make sure you are using a really strong polyurethane but you have to have the area dry before you put any kind of sealants down,” said Matt Ellenz who has been working with his family at California Window & Door for years.
If you don’t act quickly on these leaks, some major hazards can grow.
“Water is going to get behind that window and get into the drywall, get into the framing, and then if it wasn’t dried properly you’ll have mold issues. That is the biggest thing about installing a window correctly the first time so those issues don’t happen down the road,” said Ellenez.
At Ace Hardware in Palm Desert, customers have been coming in and buying supplies to deal with leaking roofs. The store sold dozens of tarps, sealants, and sandbags over the past few days. Customers have been asking the best ways to deal with small leaks.
“Depending on the type of roofing you might not know where the roof leaks, because it can travel under the shingles, under the roofing material, and be completely remote from where the leak is inside the house,” said Patrick MacNeil who has been the manager at Ace Hardware for more than 30 years.
If you already have water in your attic there are ways of helping it dry out quickly.
“The only thing to rid the moisture is maybe setting up some fans or something like that so you can have some air going on it, not necessarily a hot air, because you don’t want to cause anymore condensation. You just want to get that water to evaporate,” said MacNeil.
If you notice that you have any leaks in your home you want to get on fixing them as quickly as possible. with much more rain in the future it’s only get worse and create a breeding ground of mold and decay.
