How to Find a Leak in an Asphalt Shingle Roof

A leaky roof needs to be addressed as soon as possible, as the potential consequences can be dire if it’s left untouched. Naturally, the first step with any kind of roof repair is figuring out where the damage lies. If you have a Roof Leak in Seattle or anywhere else, you have a lot to contend with.

Is the Roof Actually Leaking?

This may seem strange, but sometimes the roof is not leaking even when it appears to be. In some cases, there is merely a lack of sufficient ventilation in the attic, which causes there to be an abundance of moisture. This can look very much like a roof leak, even though the roof can be completely solid. You might also like to read our one of the most read blog post on How to Repair Asphalt Shingles and Roof Leaks.

Moisture in your home is still an issue and will cause damage to your home as well as be harmful to you and your family’s health. However, addressing a condensation problem is not the same as a roof leak. Knowing the difference is essential, so you do not end up searching for what does not exist.

Gutters and Ice Dams

Before you actually get up onto the roof or send someone up there, it is important to note if there is a relatively simple problem in the form of ice dams. This is a situation where water freezes in your gutters during the cold months, causing water to back up. Sometimes this backup goes under your roof shingles. The same problem can happen at any time if your gutters or downspouts are clogged with debris of any kind.

Cleaning your gutters on a regular basis is important, as is ensuring that debris is out at least every season. Dealing with ice dams usually either involves chiseling them out during the cold months or installing a warming system. This is technically a roof leak, but it is not the norm.

Flashing Issues

Anywhere there are two different materials on the roof line, there should be flashing. In some cases, flashing merely is sheet metal. This often occurs in valleys where two parts of your roof slope downward into another part that forms a channel. Flashing is also present at walls, around chimneys and pipes. Flashing can be very delicate, and often needs repairing before the shingles themselves.

Rubber flashing tends to crack and can easily be damaged by anything that can cut it. These cracks and cuts are obvious but require inspecting. Sheet metal flashing can be more challenging to diagnose, though rust and cracking are dead giveaways that water can intrude. The most complex form of flashing is the kind around chimneys and other brickwork. Any cracking on or above this type of flashing nearly always results in a leak. Ask your roofing professional about educating you on diagnosing this issue yourself in the future.

The Shingles Themselves

Shingles do fail over time, and this can be made worse by events such as storms or falling debris. A shingle does not provide enough protection when the small nodules are no longer there. If the shingle is flat, smooth or shiny, it needs to be replaced.(1)

If you’re unsure about the seriousness of your wet roof, it’s best to call a roofing professional to check it out. It’s better to catch an issue in its premature phase as opposed to later on when severe damage has been made.

source https://roofingspecialistsnw.com/how-to-find-a-leak-in-an-asphalt-shingle-roof/

Roof Repair Cost Minor & Major Repairs

Roof repairs can be a costly part of your non-standard home maintenance, and this kind of roof repair is not one that can be ignored for long. The longer you allow a leak in your roof or any other type of damage to go unchecked, the worse the costly damage will become. Taking care of the situation promptly is your best bet to keep the bill at a reasonable level.

Doing it Yourself

There is something to be said for making the repairs to your roof with your own two hands. It can be satisfying to know that when your roof begins to leak, you can handle it for yourself. However, there are also hazards to know about before you get up there.

Do you know how to perform proper roof repair in Seattle? Do you know what kinds of materials you are going to need, and what is legally mandated in your area? Do you know how to find the precise area of damage, and eliminate all of it? Would your insurance protect you from an even larger medical bill if you were to fall off the roof and get injured? Ouch. Handling the repairs for yourself may save money on labor, but an injury could cost you far more in medical bills and lost work.

Small Repairs

In some cases, you can catch a roof repair task before it has gotten too bad. In the case of small leaks that are caused by a flashing issue or a few shingles that have blown off, you may be able to escape with only a few hundred dollars worth of expenses.

Your main cost will often be to locate the area where the repair needs to be made. Often, smaller roof leaks are difficult to see during their initial stages. Since most roofs are gabled, your roofer may need to physically check the entire roof to see where some shingles have gotten loose, or where something has caused a hole to form in them. Water may be running underneath your shingles and causing damage below in an entirely different area from where the initial leak is happening.

Your materials and labor in these cases can typically run in the under-$1,000 level, but this is primarily if it has not yet become a drywall or mold issue. As the damage continues to happen with each rain or snow, the costs will steadily climb. See one of our best articles on How To test Your Roof For Leaks

Significant Repairs

If there has been a slow leak that is not noticeable under normal circumstances, mold can develop on joists, in your decking under the shingles, or even in your attic. This mold will weaken wood, which will often need to be replaced. Failing to do this can result in structural failure above your home.

Replacing a significant number of shingles can lead to a total shingle replacement, which can run into several thousand dollars. This may involve replacing some of your decking, or it may not. In either case, you are either looking at potentially several thousand dollars in removal and replacement costs, or much greater costs down the line.

It is almost always the smarter decision to hire a professional roofer to take care of all damages regarding the roof of your home. Aside from the annoying leaks, your family’s health can be endangered if mold starts to appear. Don’t take the chance, and call a professional to handle the dirty work.

Related Posts:

Pros and Cons of Do It Yourself Roof Repair Work

How to Fix Roof Leaks & Broken Shingles

 

source https://roofingspecialistsnw.com/roof-repair-cost-minor-major-repairs/

Most Common Roof Leak Locations

Your roof can leak anywhere, but there is rarely randomness about the location of leaks. When you’re experiencing a Roof leaking in Seattle or any other rainy city, you can usually track the leak’s location relatively easily. Often, it comes down to a small number of familiar places that you or your roofer can check in only a few minutes.

Gutter Line

Your gutters are not the place that most people would associate with leaking, but this can quickly happen. Gutters have the unfortunate job of taking a lot of water in and channeling it away from the home – even if there is a clog and a ton of precipitation all at once. This is when a leak can happen very easily.

Bits of debris can easily clog your downspouts or create small dams in your gutters. When this happens, the water has to go somewhere, and it can pool upward into the lower part of your roof. When this happens, water can seep underneath your shingles and begin causing damage. In some cases, water can even begin to soak into the decking and go further toward the middle of your home.

Skylights

If you have a skylight, the question is not whether or not it is going to leak – it is how much is it going to leak, and how long until you notice the leaking? Skylights are very difficult to properly flash, and the fact that they are essentially a raised platform on your roof means that water can easily begin to collect up there. When water collects, it tends to seep inwards.

Checking your roof for leaks every year is a generally good idea. If you have skylights, checking them at the beginning of each season is an even better idea. The sooner you catch a leak here, the better off you will be.

Flashing

When the curve of your roof line meets another curve, this needs to be carefully flashed so that water can flow over it properly without penetrating the roof itself. If this is not done very carefully or is in any way compromised by weak materials, a leak is imminent. Flashing should be solid, but over time it can tarnish or rust just like any other kind of metal surface.

In some cases, such as with old black iron pipes, the flashing can be damaged by what it is surrounding. The flashing materials around pipes tend to be made out of rubber, which can easily be cut by a pipe’s surface. Checking this is an easy way to ensure that a significant potential threat does not happen.

Where Trees Touch

It is vitally important to trim back trees that are growing toward your home, as wood touching shingles tend to damage the latter. If there have been branches touching a part of your roof, there is a good chance that the shingles have begun to weaken. This is where pieces can break off or become cracked, allowing water to flow in.

Now that you are aware of the areas where a roof can leak (which is virtually anywhere), you need to ensure your roof is checked regularly. Contact us for roof repair and maintenance work in Seattle and Lynnwood areas.

source https://roofingspecialistsnw.com/most-common-roof-leak-locations/

How to Repair Asphalt Shingles and Roof Leaks

When a shingle is broken, it can allow a significant amount of water into your home. In many cases, you do not need to replace the entire roof, simply because a small number of shingles are broken. You may not even have to replace all of the damaged shingles at all. Going through the simpler process first can save you time and money, as opposed to going all out from the beginning.

Are Shingles Damaged Frequently?

Roofing shingles are surprisingly easy to damage. All it takes is a falling tree limb, a high wind, or a nail that was put in a somewhat wrong place to make damage an inevitable occurrence. Even though a set of shingles may indicate that they are rated for a certain number of years, this is only a base guideline if no special events occur to damage the shingles.

How to Identify a Damaged Shingle

A damaged shingle is a relatively easy thing to spot. If some of the nodules have come off, it can be damaged enough that water will leak through it. If there is a smooth or shiny spot, that particular shingle is no longer serving its full intended purpose. As well, any kind of crack or break in the shingle means it is not working as intended anymore.

The Shingle or the Tab

Shingles can be relatively large and are divided into tabs that can be identified separately from each other. In some cases, you may need to replace the entire shingle. In other cases, simply replacing one of the tabs may be enough. There is no sense replacing more than you need to if the damage is only minor or highly localized.

To Replace a Shingle

To start, use a putty knife to separate the shingle from its seal. Then use a flat bar to pry it up and remove the nails that hold it in place. Be mindful of potentially damaging the shingles above and below it. Then either remove the entire shingle or use a utility knife to cut away the tab that is damaged.

Once you have space opened up, you can make sure you have the right size of replacement. Once you have this, secure it into place under the shingle above it using 7/8 inch roofing nails. Then place a small amount of roofing cement underneath to hold it down tightly.

When the Shingle is Not the Problem

In some cases, the flashing is the problem instead of the roof shingles themselves. In these cases, it is important to thoroughly check the flashing itself to see if there are any rust spots, cracks, holes or any other potential breach points. It is also important to check to see if there have been attempts to repair the breach in the past.

Trying to patch a part of the flashing with roofing tar, caulk or most other substances is not a long-term solution, even though it is used as a popular method among homeowners. These types of “repairs” typically fall through and end up needing the skills (and tools) of a professional roofer to repair all damages. If you’re experiencing a Roof Leak in Lynnwood, be sure to check out the professionals here.

source https://roofingspecialistsnw.com/how-to-repair-asphalt-shingles-and-roof-leaks/

How To Test Your Roof For Leaks (Before it Rains)

When your roof leaks, it can slowly but surely turn your home from clean and healthy to musty, broken down and even potentially dangerous. The only thing that compares to the damage that water can do is the damage that fire can do, and fire is far easier to spot early on. The good news is, you do not need to wait until it rains to determine if your roof is likely to leak.

Underlayment

Unless you patrolled the roof being installed, you may have no idea if the majority of your decking is covered in underlayment. This is a layer of water-resistant fabric that goes under your shingles, that can slow down the damage during the rain if worse goes to worst. However, you can check to see if the underlayment is at the bottom, near the gutters.

First, climb up to your gutter area, be sure to have solid footing. Then, gently peel up the bottom layer of shingles. If your roofer did their job properly, you should have an underlayment layer that is intact and flat. Expect this layer to extend at least a foot to 18 inches, so as to minimize any damage done if rain or snow overflows your gutters. This is an area that can easily contribute to a Roof Leak in Seattle if left untended to.

Your Flashing

One of the weakest links in any roof is going to be your flashing. The likelihood is unless something is obviously wrong with your shingles, your flashing is where a leak is going to happen. This is an area with different materials and a break in the solidity of your roof, and this break is what the flashing is intended to protect.

Ensure that the flashing is laying down flat and that every space has room for water to flow downward. If your roof is like most residential roofs, it is intended to let water quickly flow away, instead of catching it like commercial roofs often do. Ensure that every piece of flashing has covered over its highest part, so water does not sit at the tiny gap at the top. Flashing is like shingles in that it needs an overhang, so water does not flow under it.

It is also essential to check that the flashing material is right. Any exposed areas need to be stable, preferably sheet metal. Anything that resembles tape or is soft should not be directly exposed to sun and rain, as these will weaken it quickly.

The Line of Your Shingles

Check to ensure that your shingles are all physically intact. Even a small missing corner piece can result in a leak. Your shingles should lie down snugly, and their nails should be well covered by the layer above them. As well, check to ensure that no shingles are loose. If they move other than peeling them upward, there is a good chance they are too loose. Also check to ensure your shingles do not feel thin or brittle, as this means they are going to break soon.

Checking your roof before it rains can mean a world of difference to your house and your wallet. If you feel uncomfortable with checking the details above yourself, calling a roofing professional can save you a headache down the line.

source https://roofingspecialistsnw.com/how-to-test-your-roof-for-leaks-before-it-rains/