Robert,
My name is Damon C. and I live in Canyon Country. We have a roof that has concrete tiles and four of them are split completely in half, just like a cookie would break. I sent photos to you and hope that you can help guide me, I’m retired and don’t have a lot of resources so is there something that I can do, maybe a glue or something other than replacing the tiles that I can use to put it back together? The paper below is torn also, not sure how this happened but I need some guideance, please.
– Damon C.
Damon C.
Hi Damon, thank you for writing in and I see clearly in the photos that you sent, you can do this repair and it should hold until you can make permanent repairs. Go to the big box store and get Henry’s 208. They sell it in 1 and 5 gallon buckets as well as caulking tubes. In your case a caulking tube will be sufficient, but you’ll need the gun to go with it for dispensing. Access your roof safely, remembering good ladder safety, and begin by using the Henry’s first to the paper where the tear is, and essentially you’re going to glue this back together. This is a very thick, pliable product that can be used even in the rain, but know that this is just a temporary repair and will need to be addressed with permanent repairs perhaps in the summer once the weather is good. Literally glue the pieces back together, slipping the tiles back into place. I see also in the photos, that the vent stacks nearby are showing signs that they need sealing. While you are up there, check all of these areas and anything that looks like previous mastic was used and is cracked, chip away the old cracked product and re seal them. You can follow this up with spray painting this product to match your roof, this keeps it looking great for you. You can use this same idea on the vent pipes themselves, so they match the roof also, if you wish. This will get you through this season, likely with no further water intrusion issues. Remember though Damon, this is temporary and you’ll need a roofer to make the permanent repairs once you are able to fund that. Good luck.
Robert,
I have a small condo here in Santa Clarita and woke up to a water mess. Luckily it didn’t travel into my neighbor’s unit but the water heater ruptured on the bottom floor. I am a single Mom with not a lot of resources and do not have insurance to cover this. I did have the water heater replaced and I have some drywall damage that is just at the bottom near the floor, but am not sure to what extent I need to get professionals in here. Do I have to call a remediation company, am I obligated to do that? I am so limited on resources and just barely was able to get the water heater replaced so need to know what I need to do minimally, to make this ok even if I have to live undone for a while.
– Jeannie L.
Jeannie L.
Jeannie, you can absolutely take care of this on your own, especially since it’s only been a day or so since the incident. Go to a big box store, get a utility knife and some good razor blades. If you have carpet that will need to be pulled up and the padding replaced. Without knowing exactly what flooring you have, I can’t fully guide you but let’s just say that you need to make sure that whatever flooring is down, needs to be dried out 100%. Carpet can be lifted, padding thrown away and the fans set to allow the flooring and carpet to dry. If you have enough moisture then you can use a Shop Vac and extract as much water as you can. Remove your baseboards, they’ll likely need to be thrown away but if they didn’t soak up water may be able to be reused. Come up about a foot off the ground, and cut out the drywall, using this as a guideline. You’ll likely be able to tell what areas are wet, get all of that removed and thrown away. Set fans to dry out these areas thoroughly, we usually use industrial fans for approximately 3 days depending on the area. If your resources are household fans, you’ll likely need to leave them longer but do not skip this step, it’s likely the most important part, getting this completely dried out before putting it all back together. When it comes to replacing the drywall, you’ll have to find your resources, perhaps friends and family can help you with putting it all back together. Just remember that the most important part of this whole process is the drying out. Mold will not grow for 72 hours, but if you have what I call the perfect storm conditions, you can have a big mess on your hands. Good luck Jeannie, you can do this.
Robert Lamoureux has 38 years of experience as a general contractor, with separate licenses in electrical and plumbing contracting. He owns IMS Construction Inc. in Valencia. His opinions are his own, not necessarily those of The Signal. Opinions expressed in this column are not meant to replace the recommendations of a qualified contractor after that contractor has made a thorough visual inspection. Email questions to Robert at [email protected].
