The telltale dripping sound of a leaking roof is sure to place a damper on anyone’s day, but it’s important to get the problem taken care of before it gets worse.

Tracy Bedsole, owner of Bedsole Roofing in Andalusia, said that roof leaks can lead to major damage if not fixed right away.

“As long as you catch it and get it fixed either that day, or the day after, you should be fine,” Bedsole said. “If you don’t, it could lead to some major problems like rotting wood, or messing up the sheet rock. And of course the water could get into your house.”

Heavy rains, like those seen Wednesday morning in Covington County, can lead to leak problems if roofs are not kept clean of leaves and other debris.

“A big problem is when people don’t keep leaves and the like off their roofs,” Bedsole said. “Too many leaves can cause the water to just kind of dam up, and if it’s not allowed to flow off the roof, then it can leak through.”

Bedsole said he sees a large number of leaks in roof “valleys.” A valley is an intersection where two inclined roofs join together at an angle, making it difficult to lay shingles flat. Often, the area below a valley is not properly insulated.

“A lot of times, I’ve seen, that when a house is roofed, they don’t put any metal up under the valleys,” Bedsole said. “When there’s a heavy rain, then that can cause some serious problems. There are ways to fix it, either by laying metal under the shingles or by using a product called a ‘peel and stick’ barrier.”

Bedsole said that he, and most other roofers, are willing to fix problems no matter when they are found.

“If someone calls me when it’s raining, I’m willing to go out and fix it, and so are most other roofers,” he said. “I got a few calls about leaks (Wednesday) morning, but not as many as I thought I would.”