Finding Roof Water Leaks

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.

Finding roof water leaks.

Some roof leaks are tough to locate. Roof leaks can be cause by missing shingles gaps in the metal flashing around chimneys and vent pipes or small holes in the roofing. Find a friend to help with the roof leak test. To do this one person goes onto the roof with a garden hose.

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. The hardest part of fixing a roof leak. Here s how it works. Finding the actual spot where the roof leaks is difficult because water can enter the roof in one place and run down to another before it starts soaking into the ceiling.

A lot of times it s simply locating the problem. 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. How to water test your roof for leaks. 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.

Identifying roofing system leaks. The other person will be inside the attic watching the area for water leaks. You know the roof is bad if shingles are missing or obviously damaged or when water stains the ceiling or walls. 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.

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. 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. One person will be outside the house with a garden hose running water over the roof.

Sometimes the water shows up at a ceiling spot distant from the leak. 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. The other person goes inside the attic with a bucket and a strong light.