While owning a home is great accomplishment early on in life, it can mean that you have no one to rely on but yourself when you run into maintenance issues. Whether you’re a new home owner or an experienced one you know not to take the roof over your head for granted. The last thing that anyone wants to deal with is an issue with their roof – especially in the winter.

If you’re starting to notice water stains on your ceiling, or you’re finding that your home is getting unseasonably chilly, you may have a problem on your hands. Getting to that problem early on can make a huge difference. Any snow or rain that gets inside your roof will leak into the wood and drywall, and can lead to costly, major repairs down the line. Here are a few tips that should help you stay ahead of any problems your roof might drop on you.

Locate the Leaks First

You might have a general idea of where your roof is leaking by looking at the staining on your ceiling. Tracing the stains to the actual source of the problem might not be as easy as you might think. Believe it or not, tracking down the trouble spots on your roof could actually be harder than the fix itself.

The penetrations that are allowing an opening for leaks won’t be right above the stain on your ceiling. The key is to safely climb up on your roof and locate the penetrations and shingles at are uphill from the area that’s staining. The water usually trickles down so the source of the problem will be above your interior trouble spots. Run a hose over the areas that you suspect the leaks are and go inside to see if there’s a drip.

Check the Vents on Your Ceiling

If all of the shingles are in good condition, it’s not very common for a leak to develop underneath. When your shingles are new and you can’t track down a leak or any evidence of black mold, the problem could be are your vent boots. These attachments usually have metal or plastic bases with seams that can tear over time.

Inspect the vents to see if anything is rotted or torn. If the rubber is tearing, the seams are broken, or there are missing nails, it’s time to consider replacing the boot to see if this makes a difference. Add some sealant and caulking to act as a barrier and this could be a quick and affordable fix.

Look for Problem Areas around Walls and Windows

You’d think that water would like from directly above, but that’s not the case. Where there is rain there is probably wind. Wind can blow water to window seams and boards by your siding causing damage to your roof. Check to see if corner boards around the siding is damaged. If there is damaged siding, water could be soaking into the surface of your roof and through the flashing. Fixing the siding and adding sealant can improve the problem if the roof isn’t already damaged.

Solutions for More Serious Problems

If you’re not a roofing expert, there’s only so much that you can do on your own. Diagnosing roofing problems is a start, but not everything is so cut and dry. If your efforts aren’t preventing water from pooling inside your home, you may need to call a professional roofing company like All American Roofing Incorporated or someone similar to help with the more complex issues. You might consider calling a professional even if you can fix it, simply because sometimes (like in the winter) getting on your roof just isn’t very pleasant.

Remember to take safety precautions when you’re fixing your roof, especially if the repairs involve you actually getting up onto the roof. If you catch the issue early enough you should be able to handle it by yourself with a little research, but that’s not always the case. Following these tips should give you a fighting chance to take on the problem, but if you start to feel in over your head don’t hesitate to throw in the towel. After all, it’s far better to spend a few hundred on roofing repairs than a few thousand on medical bills.