Need Help Finding Where My Roof is Leaking

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Need Help Finding Where My Roof is Leaking. If you have any suggestions I would be most greatful.

The roof that is leaking is only three years old. It has asphalt composit shingles. There isn't any attic space between the roof and the ceiling so I can't get up there and look. Rats! The roof and ceiling is at about an 10 degree angel and the water comes in through a knot hole in a support beam and runs down the beam until it hits the far wall then down the wall to the floor.

Both my wife and I have been up there and can't find any loose shingles. I put a tarp over the area where the knot hole is but it did not stop the leak. I figure the leak must be farther up the roof and wandering over to the knot hole, but we have looked and cannot see anything apparent.

Any suggestions on how to find where the water is coming in without ripping up the whole roof?

-- Storybook Farm (mumaw@socket.com), November 26, 2000

Answers

I'm afraid you are going to have to do a little ripping out. You say there is no attic so I am assuming your ceiling is joined directly to your rafters. I would tear out my ceiling in about a 1 ft strip straight up from where the leak finally 'appears'. I know this is a pain but ceiling material is generally cheaper than roofing material. You will probably have to leave it torn out until the next time it rains. Once you fix the leak be sure and treat any wood that has gotten wet with bleach to kill mold and mildew. I hope someone else has a different suggestion that is easier. This is the only way I know to go about it. Good luck.

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), November 26, 2000.

before you start ripping it off,, Id get up there on a warm day,,, carefully lift every tab, and put a dab of roof cement over every nail, nailhole,, little tear, everything, all the way to the capping. What ind of vent does it have, those are usually good places to start looking,, be sure every hole is sealed.

-- STAN (sopal@net-port.com), November 26, 2000.

Storybook There is nothing more perplex than a leaking roof. Especially one which is only 3 years old. Questions. Did you install this roof? Did husband? Did he do it the way you told him to? Did it his way? That could be the problem, when all else fails reading directions is to late.

Purchase 2 or 3 tubes of roofing asphalt caulking and gun to apply and narrow blade putty knife. Go to top of roof in a close proximity to where the leakage line is. It is never where logic puts the leak. Now you begin the aerial view of roof. Caulk all roof vents and there flashing, They will need it sooner or later; this is getting a handle on it with one roof climb.

Beginning at the roof ridge caulk expose nails. Inspect area in a 6 to 8 foot wide sweep from ridge to eave. Look for a bullet hole, small hole. This is very likely if you live in the city and sometimes in the country. You find Countryside dwellers are much more responsible citizens than in the city. Are there tree limbs? No, then look for a lifting tab or curl tab or broken/missing tabs or shingle. Is the sheeting of exterior plywood? If so this is in your favor. If it is chip board sheeting you are in the hands of the almighty, only time will tell and it will not be a long wait.

If roof sheeting is of random width native lumber then the problem cause is simple; not the cure. The boards cupp, making pockets and pulling up the tabs to loosen the roofing nails.

If the shingles were laid using a staple air gun then this is a possible cause. Air pressure too high cutting staple through the shingle...a hole or crack in sheeting causing a blow hole or no seal, an exposed staple or roofing nail.

A close inspection will usually show where a nail has worked up, loosing up the seal and even lifting the tab above it. Some nails and/or staples will not be covered by shingle above it. That is also a big possible. Even if this is a bent roofing nail cutting into and cause a hole for leakage caulking in the proper place will cure the leakage.

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-- JR (jr3star@earthlink.net), November 26, 2000.


I had a shop roof leak this way and what we did was take a hose with pressure nozzle and spray the roof, starting at the edge and working up a shingle row at a time. Ours was fairly simple as the leak started within 10 minutes of saturation. When we hit the row that triggered the leak, just had to reshingle two rows.

-- Jay Blair (jayblair678@yahoo.com), November 26, 2000.

Used to do roofing for a living. Don't remove anything from your roof just yet. don't put roof cement under any shingles either, because if this isn't your problem you'll cause yourself greef trying to remove shingles afterward. First, ask yourself: Does water come in only when the wind blowws hard? a light rain? or all the time? Did you check your flashing along your dormers? chimneys?? how about your vent pipes? or roof vents? have these items been installed correctly? Is your shingles installed properly? Some people like to stretch there shingles so they don't need as many, in doing so they can easy avoid proper overlap. Are there any nails shown in the rain grooves. Your roof is three years old so it should be sealed good by now. Don't forget the roof cap. Here again many people don't allow enough coverage. If you can look down into a rain grove and see felt paper at the very top of then this is where your problem lies. Now don't forget the siding. Siding? Yes, more than once we found problems with a j channel or other pieces of siding where water came into a home and gave the apperance of roof leakage, with out seeing your home however it's hard to make a call. If you can e-mail a picture of your roof I might be able to spot a problem. Good luck. hillbilly

-- hillbilly (internethillbilly@hotmail.com), November 26, 2000.


you didnt say but is there a stove pipe? i fought a leak for a year it turned out to be coming in the cooling holes in the out side cover of the stove pipe. Bob in s.e.ks.

-- bobco (bobco@hit.net), November 26, 2000.

I'm wondering how much insulation you have. If your ceiling isn't well insulated, perhaps you are getting condensation on the rafters, which then melts, runs down, and drips in where ever it can. Improper or insufficient venting can cause a problem too. I'm not expert enough to suggest how to fix those problems, just that they are things to consider when you are trying to find the problem.

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), November 27, 2000.

Hillbilly:

Isn't there a rule of thumb on how steep a pitch must be before asphalt shingles are used. 10 degree angle seems way, way too small for shingles. I think in this case rolled roofing is recommended.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), November 27, 2000.


Yea, Ken, I might not have used shingles on this roof either. 65lb or 90lb might have worked better. As long as water is able to move off of roof without pudling he should be alright.Most all your asphalt and fiberglass shingles made today are self-sealing. There's a light patch of tar, roof cement, that stretches the entire lenth of the shingle just above the rain groves, and usually the first hot day these will seal. I have seen shingles so old that they didn't seal very good.

-- hillbilly (internethillbilly@hotmail.com), November 27, 2000.

I agree w/Ken; not enough pitch for shingles, especially if used at the standard 5" to the weather. After about 2 or 3 years, dirt, leaves, granules, even snow/ice gather in the grooves and water will back up to where the shingles butt up against each other and leak back in. We use to do 4" to the weather to help with the "in-between" roof that you really didn't want to use rolled roofing on. The first thing I'd do, and this is just a temporary patch, is to get some roofing cement and cement over the grooves completely plugging them...especially above and in the area of the leaking.

-- JimR (jroberts1@cas.org), November 27, 2000.


On this part of the roof there isn't anything sticking out of the roof (such as a pipe). At the begining of the roof is the start of the second story. The roof leaks in a light drizzel with very little breeze. On thing I did notice was that in some parts of the roof the shingles have cupped and water is pooling not running. In another part of the roof the roof has sagged a little. The weird thing is these things are way down slop from the leak. I do not believe that the shingles are nailes or stapled. But I have to get up there and look again when it's light out, which will have to wait until the weekend. One other thing my wife noticed today is that in sagged areas the roof is still wet and the rest of the roof is dry, like it is holding water.

-- Storybook Farm (mumaw@socket.com), November 27, 2000.

I'm Still a little confused, however, if the roof is holding any kind of water then you should have used a rolled roofing,either 65lb or 90lb the difference being the heavier the material the better, 65lb per 100 sq feet, 10'x10',, and 90lb per 100 sq feet. It comes in granulated and smooth surface. It's applied to the roof using a cold process adheisve, this material is best applied when it is warm and the sun is out, Cut your pices the lenth you need, and roll them out in the yard allowing the sun to warm them up and this will stop fish eyes(area that will seperate from the glue after material gets warm). Your roof is only 3 years old and it does'nt matter if the shingles were nailed on or stapled. I did always however use nails. They lasted longer than staples. The staples rusted.

When you said the begining of the roof is the start of the second story. Do you mean there's a dormer(protrusion)of the second story comming out of your roof? If so you might need to check the step flashing. If this is on a overhang of the second story? You might also check your siding flashing.

If you can't see this roof from the ground and you want a cheap fix , It's not pretty but will work well. Go and get a five gallon can of Roofing Rubberizer. Make sure it's clean and dry on your roof. Sweep off any loose material and nail down any shingles that are sticking up. Using a hard briseled brush brush on this rubberizer over the top of your shingles. Carefull, this stuff likes to get all over the place, hand cleaner works well to remove. Put it on lite, but make sure it covers everything. It will cure and harden some what, and you will be able to walk on again, however on hot days it will lossen again. Avoid walking on ,on these days. Good luck.

-- hillbilly (internethillbilly@hotmail.com), November 28, 2000.


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