InspectAPedia®   -   Search InspectApedia

Novel handling of roof leaks using plastic bags (C) Daniel Friedman Roof Leaks: diagnosis & repair guide
A complete catalog of sources of leaks in all types of roofs & help tracking a roof leak back to its point of origin

  • POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about how to diagnose & repair leaky roofs: finding the point of leakage, fixing the roof leak, preventing future roof leaks

Roof leak diagnosis & repair:

This article series provides an extensive catalog of sources of leaks in all types of building roofs, this article describes procedures for finding and fixing all types of leaks in roofs, figuring out the actual spot where a roof leak is occurring, and methods for tracking down the source of water or wet spots on ceilings or in attics. 

The first part of this article describes different types and causes of roof leaks - clues about how and where to look for the causes of a roof leak.

The second part of this article discusses how we track an actual roof leak backwards to its probable source or entry point on the roof.

This article series helps with diagnosis and repair of roof leaks found in different types of roof coverings and different types of roof designs. We distinguish among actual roof leaks during rainfall, unusual leaks during hurricanes and high winds, wind-blown rain leaks, ice dam leaks in northern climates, and attic condensation or HVAC ductwork condensation and icing that may be mistaken for a roof leak in any climate.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

How to diagnose and repair Leaky Roofs

Cupped, worn-out organic asphalt roof shinglesTypes & Classes of Roof Leaks

This list of different sorts of building leaks can help diagnose the cause and location of what seems to be a leaky building roof and thus can guide the roof leak repair process to a successful end.

Article Contents

Roof leaks caused by roofing material wear or normal aging

This category includes wearing out of roof covering materials (shingles, slates, membranes) and corrosion or rusting through of roof flashings or sealants.

All roofing materials and coverings can be expected to age and wear with the passage of time and particularly with exposure to sun and various weather conditions.

But different roofing materials wear at different rates (SLATE ROOFS, for example should last longer than ASPHALT ROOF SHINGLES), and even within a particular roof material class, such as asphalt shingles, roof wear and roof life will vary as a function of other factors such as roof slope, color, direction of weather exposure, and local climate (exposure to salt, sun, etc.). at the ARTICLE INDEX the bottom of this article you'll see articles for each type of roofing and in those you'll find details about the life expectancy of that material.

Collapsing building © Daniel FriedmanSee these articles describing the wear and aging factors on roofs in more detail:

Normal wear and tear includes asphalt shingle granule loss (which may or may not be norma), shingle cracking, curling, cupping, similar wear on asphalt roll roofing, and wear or deterioration of roof flashings due to weather, age, corrosion. Regular roof maintenance including cleaning or removal of debris and application of sealants on low slope and flat roofs can signfiicantly extend roof life.

See these roof wear & leak articles:

Roof leaks caused by events: storm damage, falling tree limbs, walking-on, chopping ice, high winds, other unusual events

Thermal splitting of fiberglass-based asphalt roof shingles was particularly common for product manufactured in the early 1990's.Of the roof leaks caused by events, such as those listed above, one could further separate leaks as caused by act of god or nature (unusual storms and wind or wind-blown tree branch or object damage to roofs) from leaks caused by human error (chopping ice or shoveling snow off of roofs using methods that damage the roof shingles). See

Roof leaks caused by poor original installation or workmanship

Examples of workmanship-related roof leaks or poor installation of roofing include:

Roof leaks due to inadequate or improper roof maintenance

Examples of maintenance-related leaks in or through building roofs include

Roof leaks caused by use of defective roofing product

We divide "defective roofing product" into two categories: roof materials that were defective when they left the production facility, perhaps due to a process control error or a problematic product design, and roof materials that were defective due to improper storage before installation on a roof. See:

Roof leaks that aren't - indoor moisture, stains, water, leaks mistaken for roof leaks.

These false roof leaks can cause waste of time and money as well as aggravating disputes between building owners, roofing contractors, and other building contracting and repair companies. Some examples include:

Tracking Down Roof Leaks to Their Source

Leak in flat roof © D Friedman at InspectApedia.com It may seem obvious to say "start by looking at where you see water leaking into the building", but that is often just not enough to track a roof leak back to its source.

Our low slope roof photos shown here give examples of hard-to-spot roof leak sources as well as hidden roof leak damage: rot or insect damage.

Our photo (left, courtesy Galow Homes) shows a small dirt stain marking a small ponding area exactly above what we later discovered was a long-standing roof leak in an EPDM roof.

Roof leak stains from below © D Friedman at InspectApedia.com Our roof leak stain photo (left) shows the wall cavity immediately below the roof area I was pointing out in the roof leak photo above.

As further demolition showed, the carpenter ants were having a fiesta [Photo] in the wall cavity and along the top plate of this home.

Following roof leaks to their source

How to Decide if a Roof Leak is Active or Old, How to Handle Wet Moldy Areas Discovered in a Ceiling

Question: How do I track down roof leaks and decide if leaks are active or inactive? Wet spots & black mold found during interior repairs after prior roof leaks and a new roof installation

We live in a condo building, four story, concrete structure with brick face.

We have had our flat, concrete roof repaired multiple times in the past few years. Last year the roof was sponge-y with water. We had repairs made in all areas as per a building inspector's advice, and a water expert's advice, except for some tuck pointing problems which were terribly expensive, and didn't look all that problematic . Also we installed roof vents.

This summer the roof is no longer sponge-y. It is solid. But the owners of the fourth (top) floor apartment are having interior work done and are discovering black mold and water/moisture coming in in the very areas they want to repair.

The roof LOOKS good, flashing and parapets are tight, caps on parapets are repaired and in good shape, roof surface (modified bitumen) has been sealed this summer and looks to be in good shape.

Is it possible this is still water percolating down from our concrete roof? Or should we be looking for new leaks?

Should we be calling yet another roofer? Or should we be waiting for the interior to be free of the old buildup of water which is still making its way down from the soggy, sponge-y roof we had last summer.

Thank you for any advice you can give us. - M.J.

Reply: Look for & trace moisture or water under the roof, explore for leaks during mold cleanup, don't look just for "black mold"

Follow the water pattern and moisture levels to track down flat roof leaks

If your roof is low slope or flat water travels and it can be tricky tracking down a leak - an inspector using infra red and moisture meters should be able to help sort out the question of whether there is an active leak and if so where it originates. As you report that the top floor occupant has found wet areas, it seems likely that other than concrete and structural members, other wet materials such as insulation will need to be removed - a step that will help trace the size and pattern of wet areas back to inspection points on the roof above.

Roofing over wet materials can lead to further trouble

It's common on large commercial buildings and apartments to simply add another layer of roofing over leaky flat or low-slope roofs. Sometimes the roofer will also put down a layer of insulating board first. As long as the roof can be mechanically secured soundly to the structure, that practice is acceptable in many communities.

But roofing over wet layers of old material can lead to future troubles including

If the roofer roofed over wet conditions they could take a long time to dry out, particularly if the roof was installed atop multiple layers of old material. You didn't say how long ago the new roof was installed nor whether or not there was a tear-off of old layers.

Also, while we like modified bitumen as a roof covering material, the roof can "look good" but could have improperly made seams.

An experienced roofer or roof inspector will look closely at the modified bitumen seams and flashing details to be more confident that at least from above the roof doesn't show obvious leak points.

See MODIFIED BITUMEN ROOFING for details.

Mold Under Leaky Roofs - some basic advice

Mold that was discovered by the top floor occupants may have been pre-existing due to the previous leakage; that's particularly likely given that there were prior roof leaks.

Further inspection to identify the extent of mold cleanup needed as well as the source of leakage should be a natural part of mold cleanup. No mold cleanup job would be complete without finding and fixing any remaining building leaks, and no renovation job would be well done if it simply covered-over a problematic mold contamination.

Focus on "black mold" is a mistake. There are many genera/species of harmful mold, only some of which are dark in color. The "black molds" are easier to see so may be over-reported.

It would be unlikely that only one genera/species of mold is present in a leaky building, but often lighter colored mold contamination is harder to see, even if it is equally or even more of a potential health concern.

Leaky masonry walls remain on your project - watch out for rain and storm damage such as from Hurricane Irene

Watch out: wind-blown rain, particularly during storms such as Hurricane Irene that brought long durations of high winds and heavy rainfall, can penetrate masonry buildings through walls and roof parapets. These masonry wall leaks may be mistaken for roof leaks when they begin high on the building walls.

We understand the wish to postpone very costly building repairs, not to mention the worry that the costly repairs may not be done properly, leading to still more costs. But depending on the materials used and structure of the building walls, leaks into wall cavities can cause such costly damage that it is almost always justified to properly seal the building exterior against storm driven rain leaks.

Reader Comments:

(Oct 25, 2011) leon weech said: excellent web site!

(Dec 18, 2014) Angela Jonse said: It's a good post.


...

Continue reading at ASPHALT SHINGLE FAILURE TYPES or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see ROOF LEAK DIAGNOSIS FAQs - questions and answers posted originally on this page.

Or see these

Roof Leak Diagnosis & Repair Articles

Suggested citation for this web page

LEAKY ROOF DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING ROOFING

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Questions & Answers diagnosing & repairing leaky roofs

Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.

Search the InspectApedia website

Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.

Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification
when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.
Our Comment Box is provided by Countable Web Productions countable.ca

Comment Form is loading comments...

Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.



ADVERTISEMENT