The first sign you have a roof leak could be yellowish stains on your ceiling. When you see ceiling stains, you know rain is falling through the roof somewhere and getting into your attic. You may want to check your attic to see if you find water damage or mold. You might even see where the leak is if sunlight is streaming through a small hole.

Whether you actually find the leak or not, you should call a roof repair service as soon as you can so you can stop the water damage. Here's what a roof repair service might do.

Inspect The Roof From The Attic

The roofer might want to check your attic to see if it gives them clues about the location of the roof leak. They can sometimes tell by looking at water stains on the attic roof or rafters where the rain enters and how it rolls down until it drips off. They can then mark the spot with a nail so it's easier to find the leak from the surface of the roof.

Check The Roof For Damage

The best way to tell the extent of damage and find the location of the hole is to go on the roof and look around. The damage on the roof might involve flashing, several shingles, and the wood deck.

Even if the damaged shingle or hole is fairly small, a larger portion of the roof can be damaged when water gets under the shingles and rolls down the deck. If the leak goes on long enough, the deck could rot and need to be replaced.

Gather Material For Repairs

Materials the roof repair service might need to stop the leak include metal for repairing flashing, adhesives, roofing nails, shingles, underlayment for patches, and a piece of plywood large enough to cover the hole and replace rotted decking.

Repair The Roof

Flashing is made from aluminum sheet metal that's easy to fabricate by hand, so the roofer can make a metal patch or bend the flashing so it bends as needed to go around a chimney or in a valley. To replace a rotted deck, the roofer needs to rip up shingles to reach the deck so the rotted part can be removed. Once the dry plywood patch is in place, it has to be covered with underlayment before the new shingles are put on.

Repairing a simple roof leak is a fairly easy job that can be done quickly, but if you wait too long, the damage escalates and more work is needed. You may also need to replace attic insulation and part of the ceiling that has water stains after a roof leak so you won't have to deal with mold later. 

For more information, contact a local company that offers roof replacement services.