What To Do If You Notice A Leak In Your Roof? How Can You Tell? Tips From The Pros.

The National Roofing Contractors Association recommends checking your roof for leaks twice a year, once in the spring and again in the fall. Catching leaks before summer storms hit and heavy snow accumulates saves homeowners the headache of repairing a roof in unseasonable weather. The temperate weather in spring and fall also makes inspections easier to complete.

Roof leaks can happen for a number of reasons. If you own a home for long enough, it is a case of “when” rather than “if” your roof will leak. To help you get a better understanding of roof leaks in general, here are a few of the most common ways in which a leak in your roof can develop. 

• Missing shingles due to age or storm damage
  • If your roof is missing shingles, especially around valleys where water runs through in the highest concentration, you will most likely develop a leak or start to see signs of water damage.
• Damage caused by ice dams
  • Ice dams aren’t just an eye sore. They can pose a serious threat to your roof’s structural integrity. If a thick ice layer is allowed to build up and stay for weeks or months at a time, the warm air from the attic below can melt the bottom layer and cause water to seep through into your house. Ice dams should be addressed as soon as possible to help prevent this.
• Cracked or damaged flashing components around vents or chimney
  • If your home is older or your roof components are older, then you may want to inspect your flashings annually or semi-annually. Over time, they can become unseated, crack, or otherwise loosen which can allow moisture in. 
• Roof shingle nails backing out or coming loose
  • If your roof hasn’t been maintained or updated in the last decade or so, then you might have old roof shingle nails. Over time, they can back out of their holes and allow water in under the shingles onto the roof deck or under it. 

How to Identify Leaks

Roofs leak because water has entered the attic. Once inside, water moves along horizontal surfaces from high points to low points. When a water spot finally appears on the ceiling, the water has already traveled across the rafters and is running down vertical surfaces onto the ceiling. The process makes it difficult to pinpoint the leak from the inside. Someone will need to check the roof from the outside.

You can hire a professional roof inspector, or you can do it yourself. If you decide to do it yourself, here’s what to look for:

Damaged Shingles

Most homes have asphalt shingles. Environmental wear and tear eventually causes the shingles to crack or split. Cracks appear on the surface when the composition loses the additives that make the shingles resistant to moisture, heat, and aging. Additive loss causes the shingle to shrink, which leads to surface cracks.

Shingles expand and contract as temperatures rise and fall. Over time, the movement creates stress that weakens the adhesive on the upper surface. This process results in diagonal splits that can allow water to seep in.

Missing Shingles

In addition to the adhesive, roofing nails are used to hold shingles in place. If a roof has missing shingles, it could be caused by:

• Inadequate sealing. Shingle adhesive requires time in the sun before the sealant activates. If the adhesive does not have sufficient time to activate, shingles may be easily dislodged by wind or rain.
• Loose nails. Shingles should lay flat. If they do not, the roofing nails could be propping the shingle up. The elevated shingle can come loose and fall off. 
• Nail punctures. The head of a roofing nail should rest on the shingle. If it goes into the shingle, the nail cannot hold the shingle in place, and it can be dislodged.

As a roof ages, the adhesive weakens, and nails can become loose. Wear and tear can cause punctures to occur. At some point, you may want to consider having a professional inspection to help gauge the health of your roof to determine if a replacement is needed.

Missing or Damaged Flashing

Roof flashings deflect water away from a roof. They appear around chimneys, vents, and pipes to prevent water from pooling. If the flashing is damaged or improperly installed, water enters the home. Roof flashing is usually made from sheet metal or plastic. Waterproof membranes may be used in areas where corrosion could be a problem. Building codes may also require flashing around roof edges and skylights.

Flashing around roof edges is called kick-out flashing. It is designed to direct water into rain gutters and away from the building. If the kick-out flashing is missing or damaged, water can enter through the base of the roof. This may cause structural as well as roof damage.

Ice Dams

Ice dams form when the snow on warmer parts of the roof melts and the water moves to the roof edges. Since the edges are usually colder, the runoff freezes and backs up under the shingles. When the ice thaws, the water is trapped under the shingles, and the roof leaks. 

Ice dams can form in the valleys between roofs or when melted snow runs onto a lower roof. In those locations, an ice and water underlayment should be installed to protect against ice buildup. If the underlayment is worn or damaged, it will need to be replaced.

Should You Hire a Professional or Do It Yourself?

Roof repair is labor-intensive. It usually also requires special tools, depending on the type of repair.

The following is a partial list of tools that may be required:

• Caulking gun
• Chalk line
• Circular saw
• Ladder stabilizer
• Knee pads
• Safety glasses
• Flat pry bar
• Flashlight
• Hammer
• Hook blade shingle cutter
• Utility knife
• Ladder
• Tape measure
• Pencil

If you don’t already have the tools, it may be less expensive to hire a professional.

You may also need to purchase the following materials:

• Replacement shingles
• Roofing nails
• Roofing cement or sealant
• Roofing underlayment
• Replacement flashing and vents, if damaged
• Roof decking, if it is damaged

Make sure you purchase materials that are compatible with the existing roof to not damage its integrity.

Safety is another concern. To prevent injury, keep in mind the following:

• There should be at least two people working on a roofing project.
• Never work on a wet, snowy, icy, or dewy roof. 
• Clear the work area of twigs, pine needles, cones, moss, and other debris before starting.
• Use a personal fall arrest system (PFAS) to slow or prevent falls.
• Wear soft-soled boots.
• Wear eye protection, gloves, breathing masks, and hearing protection as needed.
• Check out the OSHA publication “Protecting Roofing Workers” for comprehensive safety instructions.

A leaky roof definitely presents a problem that is worth solving. You can either choose to solve it yourself or with the help of a professional, the nice thing is that you have the final say in the matter. As a typical rule of thumb, If you have done your due diligence and inspected the leaking area and it seems to be limited to a single shingle or component, then it’s probably okay to take the time to fix it yourself. If however, you have looked around your roof and attic and found several leaking spots or a handful of broken shingles, flashings, or vents, then it’s time to call in a pro. A slew of leaks could mean you have a bigger failure rather than a single isolated issue. For this, we definitely recommend contacting a roofing professional to help you get an estimate for a repair or full roof replacement.

Whatever you decide to do, we hope that this guide has helped you get a better idea of how to handle a leak if one occurs in your home. Let us know in the comments which type of DIY tasks you are currently working on and if you have any tips for our readers. We can’t wait to hear from you.