Finding Roof Water Leaks

Water testing for roof leaks.

Finding roof water leaks.

The other person will be inside the attic watching the area for water leaks. The goal is to find the leak before the entire roof goes bad. If you find a leak in a metal roof due to water damage you ll need an expert to repair rot so ensure that you call a well respected roofer to do this job. Sure it s easy enough to spot water stains on the ceiling or mold growth sure signs of a leak.

Roof leaks can be cause by missing shingles gaps in the metal flashing around chimneys and vent pipes or small holes in the roofing. If there signs of water damage or dripping water coming from the ceiling that is directly below an attic space or directly below the roof surface itself there is almost no question that the true cause is a hole or other type of damage in the shingles or other roofing material that make up the roof system. Here s how it works. The source of a leak often isn t obvious on the roof itself and it can be hard to pinpoint since the water may run down the roof decking and rafters before dripping onto the ceiling below.

To do this one person goes onto the roof with a garden hose. If your ceiling has a plastic vapor barrier between the drywall and the attic insulation push the insulation aside and look for flow stains on the plastic often water runs to openings in the vapor barrier such as at ceiling light fixtures. How to water test your roof for leaks. If there s water damage anywhere else such as in the ceiling or along the walls then again this may need to be taken out and replaced.

When a roof leaks moisture penetrates through the surface of the roof system and begins to saturate the underlayment or decking for the roof system. The other person goes inside the attic with a bucket and a strong light. After the underlayment or decking is saturated and can no longer absorb any additional moisture the water begins to leak into the inside of the building. Find a friend to help with the roof leak test.

Again practice safety first. One person will be outside the house with a garden hose running water over the roof. Identifying roofing system leaks. A lot of times it s simply locating the problem.

If you can t find the cause of a leak from the attic or by visual inspection on the roof surface wait for dry weather and ask a friend to help you do a water test. The hardest part of fixing a roof leak. Sometimes the water shows up at a ceiling spot distant from the leak.