Many customers call me some time after having a roof leak because they are concerned about possible mold growth. Here is the basic thing to do in relation to that.
- Make sure you have ‘roof’ coverage with your insurance. There normally are riders you can add for this. As long as you maintain your roof then the insurance will cover leaks.
- Obviously repair the roof if there is a leak. But don’t stop with just the repair.
- Have an inspection done to determine how much area the roof leak affected and then address those areas. That normally means it needs to be professionally dried by a restoration company that normally do this with industry dehumidifiers. Your insurance will cover the cost of this if you have roof coverage. However, I recommend you use an independent restoration company versus the insurance vendor since there can be a conflict of interest.
- Don’t ‘air dry’ the affected areas by doing it yourself and don’t remove wet drywall yourself as you will let dangerous bacteria and mold into your living area.
The above states what should be done in a very quick manner, if possible, so that mold and bacteria don’t grow. Realistically mold and bacteria have already started to grow since you may not detect a roof leak right away especially if there have only been light rains. Usually, building materials like insulation will absorb rain water until there is too much and then it will saturate your ceiling drywall causing stains and leaking through at some point.
The idea here is to take quick action once you discovery a roof leak to try and minimize the damage and mold/bacteria growth. Making sure you have roof coverage in place with your insurance can be critical.
Steve Mullins (i.e. Mold Detector)
CMC, Certified Microbial Consultant
Moisture and Mold Detection, Inc.