My mother-in-law's roof has a small leak which we can see from the attic coming through the wooden room. We are having trouble locating the source on the roof (shingled). What is a good action plan for detecting it?
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Keep in mind that nearly all roof leaks occuring on pitched/"steep" roofs are flashing-related.
When I look for points of entry on a leaking roof, the first thing I do is check out all flashings {pipe jacks, wall flashings, chimneys, wall/roof abutments, fascia/roof/gutter junctures, any other protrusions, etc.} located above the general area water is showing up inside. This could also include valleys.
The problem is, unless you know how the roof is supposed to be "put together", you may not recognise something which was done incorrectly.
But, instructions with diagrams are readily available from a number of sources, including websites of roofing manufacturers. The big box stores also usually offer small pamphlets which may show how different "things" are supposed to be tied-in with the shingles. And books can be purchased at the big box stores which will have photos or diagrams. You might be able to compare these to what you can seen up there.
And, if you do spot something, you could elect to redo it, or try to seal it up with plastic roof cement {tar}. Depends on how handy you are.
but.....BE CAREFULL, never forgetting where you are.
When I look for points of entry on a leaking roof, the first thing I do is check out all flashings {pipe jacks, wall flashings, chimneys, wall/roof abutments, fascia/roof/gutter junctures, any other protrusions, etc.} located above the general area water is showing up inside. This could also include valleys.
The problem is, unless you know how the roof is supposed to be "put together", you may not recognise something which was done incorrectly.
But, instructions with diagrams are readily available from a number of sources, including websites of roofing manufacturers. The big box stores also usually offer small pamphlets which may show how different "things" are supposed to be tied-in with the shingles. And books can be purchased at the big box stores which will have photos or diagrams. You might be able to compare these to what you can seen up there.
And, if you do spot something, you could elect to redo it, or try to seal it up with plastic roof cement {tar}. Depends on how handy you are.
but.....BE CAREFULL, never forgetting where you are.
