What to do with a hole in the roof of a metal tile?

Question

Hello! I had an unpleasant situation. I recently went into the attic and suddenly noticed that a small hole was gaping above my head. What is the reason - I don’t know how and when she appeared - I also don’t know, since I rarely come to the country. She, of course, is not very noticeable, but it bothers me. Is there anything you need to do in this case, or can you leave everything as it is? (September 14, 2013, Eugene)

Answer

The situation must be approached with all seriousness. When the rainfall season comes, it can lead to real problems. And the rain will flood the attic, and when the snow melts, water will seep under the roof, slowly and surely destroying the roof. To prevent these unpleasant things, it is best to conduct preventive inspections of the roof several times a year. This will allow you to quickly identify roof malfunctions and quickly fix them. In your situation, you can already see the problem “firsthand”, so several solutions come to mind. Firstly, it is important to find out the reason for the appearance of this hole.
To do this, you need to go to the roof and make a thorough inspection of the entire surface for the presence of other similar phenomena. This will help to avoid similar unpleasant situations in the future. Since the cause of the breakdown is absolutely not clear in your case, you must definitely analyze the nature of the damage and determine its area, and only then decide on further actions.

Here are just some of the ways that can solve the problems of the appearance of holes:

if the hole is small, then you can try to caulk it, and then paint over the color of the roof;
if its dimensions are large enough, then you can put a patch of metal, which also needs to be painted to match the color of the roof;
the most universal option is to replace the sheet of metal, especially if you have leftovers from the previous coating, and if not, then you can buy a similar color in the store (since the lots will be different, then the color may vary slightly).

The examination should be carried out not only for the presence of holes, but also for the appearance of rust or peeling of roofing materials. All these signs can serve as signals to replace part of the roofing or even the entire roof.

It is also necessary to inspect the roof from inside the attic to make sure that everything is in order. Found faults should be fixed right away to be sure of the reliability of the roof over your head.