If you suspect your roof is leaking, the sooner you take care of it, the better. The most effective method of dealing with a leaking roof is to have a professional roofer find the source of the problem and take care of it. If you are not in a rush, you could try to repair the leak yourself with the following suggestion. At the very least, it helps to familiarize yourself with what your roofer will do to get to the source of the leak and stop it in its tracks. 

What To Know About Leaks

In addition to the most obvious sign of a leak, dripping water, you should be on the lookout for water stains running the down the walls or across your ceiling. You should always fix a leaky roof as soon as possible since small leaks can grow in size and lead to mold or rotting framing and other materials in a short amount of time. 

Finding The Leak

In many cases, the hardest part of fixing a leak in your roof is finding the source of the leak. Start by going to the stains on the roof and looking uphill from there. You should look for anything that penetrated the roof, such as a chimney, roof or plumbing vent, or dormer. These items may be left or right of the leak or above it. If you can go in your attic, do so and follow the water stains, mold, or black marks to narrow down the leaking location.

If you cannot find the leak with those methods, go onto the roof with a hose and have someone stand inside. Start low and begin getting the spot right above the leak’s in-house appearance wet. Just get a single section wet at a time and have your helper let you know if there is a drip inside. This will be a time-consuming process so be prepared. 

Repairing Easy Leaks

A common small leak cause is a “shiner,” which is a nail that is not in the right framing member. You can resolve these leaks just by clipping the nail using side-cutting pliers. If the leak is by a plumbing vent boot that is torn or rotted, just replace the vent boot. Sometimes, the vent boot will be fine and you just need to replace the nails with rubber-washered screws. In the case of cracked roof vents, you will need to replace the vent. As with vent boots, you can replace missing nails that cause leaks with rubber-washered screws. In the case of leaks along your dormers or walls, the solution may be as simple as removing old caulk and replacing it with new, high-quality caulk and replacing damaged siding. 

More Serious Leaks

You will not always be lucky enough to have a simple solution for the leak. Poor flashing, for example, may cause leaks during summer storms and winter snows. In this case, you will need to replace the flashing, which requires removing the shingles to access it. In the case of more serious leaks like this, you should consider hiring a professional unless you have roofing experience of your own.