The Truth About Roofs
You can't have a lot of roofs in your inventory without dealing with leaks. If you rehab, you EXPECT to discover ceiling discolorations, the tell tale indication of a dripping roof, in practically every job. I find projects without indications of past or present leakages the exception to the norm!
Sometimes shingles are simply going to need replaced. There is no navigating it. Curled shingles, and various leakages are a pretty good sign that it would be cheaper to replace the roofing rather than repair work. Simply aspect that into the repairs and accept it. It's one thing you will not have home repair article to worry about if you are keeping the residential or commercial property, and it ups the worth whether you keep it or sell it on the retail market after the rehabilitation.
If the shingles still have some life on them, however there is some leak to repair, finding the real source of the problem can take numerous tries. It can get pretty annoying as you in some cases try and fail to repair a dripping roofing. Naturally, you wish to attempt to repair this without calling out a pricey expert roofer. In some cases you can, often you can't. Here are some suggestions for identifying roof leaks.
-- Get a small flashlight that enters into a small belt holster and make that part of your normal clothes. You will use all of it the timefor more than searching in attics! It's great for pipes, under cabinets, and so on. Make it part of the "uniform."
-- The garden tube-- a rehabber's friend. In a recent project of mine, the roofing system was fairly brand-new yet I had a ceiling stain in the cooking area. We 'd believed it was all looked after in 2 tries, so we covered the ceiling, applied stain block, and textured over the spot. Then came the rains, and the circular and balanced area was back! I 'd had almost enough so I climbed onto the roofing system, garden hose pipe in hand, and stationed my handyman in the attic. In less than a minute of hosing down the roofing we discovered the really tiny hole that was the culprit. A dab of tar below and above the shingle and viola! Issue resolved. The tiny hole was triggering water to drip straight onto the ceiling drywall, for this reason the circular stain.
-- Watch for stain patterns. The pattern can offer you hints. When you encounter a circular ceiling stain, there's a great chance the leakage is leaking straight onto the ceiling dry wall from above. Put a nail in the center of the stain and enter the attic and look directly above the nail and you may simply find the issue. If you do this in brilliant daytime, a spec of light may be noticeable, which would make the repair work a little much easier. Even if you discover a hole, I still advise the garden pipe trick to see if there are other issues to fix.
If the stain is small and circular, it normally means the amount of water is smalllucky you. If the stain area is larger, it might still be an easy repair specifically if it is a single hole. If there suffices rain making onto the ceiling drywall, it will pool and take in. This will make it appear like a huge leak, when it might be a one-shingle repair work (plus some new ceiling drywall). The garden pipe technique will quickly tell you home repair strategies if the issue is a single hole, or your roof resembles Swiss cheese.
Stains that appear along a line might suggest that water is draining pipes along a rafter or truss. Check that rafter starting from the top trying to find signs of water. The source may be a single hole that is sending out water down the rafter making several stains appear in a line.
-- Isolating the leakage. Understand the ridgeline. When you are inspecting a property, know the direction the roofing ridgeline runs as you inspect the interior. If you stumble upon a ceiling stain towards the middle of the house near where the ridgeline is above you, the source of the water is simpler to isolate. Water doesn't stream up! So, the suspect area extends from roughly the stain location, approximately the ridgeline. In many cases, that's a lot less roof to investigate.
On the other hand when stains are out near the roof edges, they are the trickiest to detect. Why? The source of the water might be from higher in the roofing system than where the stain is. The water might be getting under a shingle near the peak, draining down between the shingles and ply, and lastly leaking at the point you are seeing the stain. It's simply hard to inform upon initial inspection. Enter into the roof and take a look at the rafters around that location for indications of water stains? If you're fortunate you'll see light and a hole. If you're not that lucky, it's time to get on the roofing system and see what you can find. If you don't find anything obvious, it's time to call a rooferthat is, unless you choose to replace the entire roof.
-- Valleys are typically the perpetrator when it concerns leaking roofs. I specifically discover this in property that has been ignored or vacant for long periods of time. Very typically the problem is triggered because leaves have actually accumulated in the valley. These leaves hold moisture which decomposes the shingles and underlying ply over time. Depending upon the extent of the rot, the repair can range from changing ply and shingles to cleaning off the leaves and letting it dry. Know your roofing system valleys and keep them clear!
With roof leaks, there are no short cuts. It's much easier and cheaper in the long run to aggressively identify the leakage issue and seek concealed leakages that simply haven't soaked through the ceiling drywall yet. Don't presume that as soon as you discover one hole in the roofing system, or a split shingle that the problem is repaired. Get that hose pipe out and verify it! There is something about climbing in an attic and on a roofing that isn't enjoyable to re-do.