While it's dripping
Power and ceilings first
If water is near a light or power point, switch the power off at the switchboard. Keep people out from under any ceiling that's bulging or sagging.
Catch it and clear the room
Buckets, towels and a drop sheet under the drip, and anything valuable moved out of the way.
Storm damage? Call the right people
For a storm emergency, ring the SES on 132 500. Let your insurer know early and before you pay for temporary repairs, and take photos before anything is moved.
Note when it happens
Heavy rain from one direction, every rain, or dry cold mornings? That pattern is the best clue a roofer will get.
When and why Canberra roofs leak
Not much rain, delivered in bursts
Canberra Airport averaged 579.5 mm a year over 1991 to 2010, spread over 95.4 days. November (68.4 mm) and January (61.3 mm) were the wettest months, so leaks tend to show in early summer.
Thunderstorm season runs October to April
The airport averages 20 thunderstorm days a year and a summer average of 11 thunderstorms. Storms like the one on 2 December 2005, which caused damage in 51 suburbs, find blocked valleys and tired flashings fast.
Frosty nights bring a different kind of drip
With about 95 frosts a year at the airport, Canberra roof spaces get very cold. CSR Bradford says winter condensation forms when warm, moist air from the house meets the cold underside of the roof, and it can drip like a leak.
Leak or condensation?
A real leak lines up with rain, often rain from one direction, and the stain grows after each storm. Condensation shows up on cold mornings, often spread across the underside of a metal roof or around bathroom and laundry exhaust fans, and can happen with no rain at all.
The fixes are different. A leak needs the entry point found and sealed, usually a cracked tile, ridge mortar, a flashing or a valley. Condensation needs better ventilation or sarking, the membrane under the roof. Our guide to condensation or a leak walks through the signs.
Check for a Mr Fluffy tag before the roof space is opened
Tracing a leak often means going into the ceiling. Loose-fill asbestos was blown into more than 1,000 Canberra roof spaces between 1968 and 1978-79, and affected homes carry a safety tag at the electricity meter box and switchboard. If yours has one, WorkSafe ACT needs at least five business days' notice of work that may disturb the roof space, and the roofer needs a copy of the Asbestos Management Plan before entering. If you're unsure about any material in the roof, don't touch it, and get a licensed asbestos assessor to check.
Questions for the roofer
- Do you think this is a leak or condensation, and why?
- How will you find where the water gets in, and is that in the price?
- Will you need to go into the roof space, and what do you need from me first?
- If it's the ridge mortar or a flashing, are you repairing a section or the whole run?
- Can you send photos of the cause and the fix?
If it were our ceiling
We'd fix a storm leak before the next thunderstorm rather than waiting for winter, when it seems to have stopped. If the drip only comes on frosty mornings, we'd ask a roofer about ventilation before paying for a hunt that won't find a hole. The national roof leak repair page covers the usual causes, and our Canberra page has the local background.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.