| reply to robbin
Re: Leaky Roof said by robbin:Anyone have any leaky roof problems?
There are only two kinds of people:
1) Those who have had a leaky roof
2) Those who will have a leaky roof |
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| reply to leibold
said by leibold:Composite shingles (which seems to be the most common type) about 20 to 25 years old. By the look of it a basic/inexpensive type but professionally installed by a company that has a reputation for quality work (and unlike many others is still in business today).
Most of the roof area has a good slope for good water runoff but there is also an area where the roof is fairly flat. One roofer on inspecting the roof commented that he didn't think shingles appropriate for that portion of the roof. The leak (exact location has not been determined) appears to be either a valley where the almost flat roof joins a regular sloped roof section or somewhere near that valley within the almost flat roof section.
I should probably mention that many times on even heavy rainfall the roof does not leak. With the correct wind direction however it will drip even when there is very light rainfall.
a) Shingles need to be replaced when you see about 5% of them starting to curl - the rest of them will follow in short order (1-2 seasons at most). The cost of 40-50 year shingles is minimally more than the cost of 20-25 year shingles, so always install the longer-life ones.
b) NEVER install shingles where the slope is less than 4:1 Use a proper low-slope roofing material in these areas.
c) In areas with high winds, always install a ice/water shield membrane over the entire roof before shingling, to prevent wind-driven rain from being forced under the shingles. It's also prudent to install an ice/water shield if you have raccoons habitually on your roof - they're known to rip shingles off. |
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 leiboldPremium,MVM
join:2002-07-09
Sunnyvale, CA
kudos:5
 ·SONIC.NET
| said by MaynardKrebs:a) Shingles need to be replaced when you see about 5% of them starting to curl - the rest of them will follow in short order (1-2 seasons at most).
The shingles were most likely 25 year rated (and therefore nearing end of rated life) but they are holding up really well with no curled shingles anywhere.
said by MaynardKrebs:b) NEVER install shingles where the slope is less than 4:1 Use a proper low-slope roofing material in these areas.
I didn't measure it (there is no level reference to get a good measure of the height) but it seems to me that there are 5 to 6 feet horizontally for every 1 foot gain in height. I admit that I could easily be deceived by the way the roof looks (optical illusion). For many years I didn't know my roof had any low slope area at all but when I actually climbed up it seemed like that part was completely flat.
said by MaynardKrebs:c) In areas with high winds, always install a ice/water shield membrane over the entire roof before shingling, to prevent wind-driven rain from being forced under the shingles. It's also prudent to install an ice/water shield if you have raccoons habitually on your roof - they're known to rip shingles off.
We do have a significant raccoon population but they seem to spend more time on the ground and in the storm drains then on the roof. I never heard of shingles being ripped off here.
Any animal damage to the roof would be more likely from squirrels. The water being pushed/forced under the shingles is my suspicion as well. Ice isn't really an issue here but a good water seal will be a priority when the roof is being replaced. Somehow it seems weird to me to put a perfectly watertight membrane on the roof and then pierce it with hundreds of roofing nails. I guess there is no other way to keep the shingles in place ?
Since the low sloped area of the roof faces south I'm tempted to install a solar array once the roof is fixed (there is a tall tree in the neighbors yard that may cast a shadow over it).
Since pictures say more then a thousand words:
Google Maps
Colored for clarity. Red = low slope
I have colored each area of the roof in a different color to make it clear where the ridges and valleys are. When the home was originally build in the 50s all parts of the roof had a good slope. The red area was much smaller, probably with the same angle as the yellow area on the opposite side. However later another room was added behind the garage and without changing the ridge line the red portion of the roof was stretched out to cover it. This caused that portion of the roof to be very much lower sloped. The circled area with the question mark is where the leak appears to be. There are no roof penetrations (vents, chimney, antenna mounts, etc.) near that area.
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| reply to robbin
It is a metal valley or weaved shingles? Can't tell form the picture. |
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leiboldPremium,MVM
join:2002-07-09
Sunnyvale, CA
kudos:5 Reviews:
·SONIC.NET
| I don't know whether there is a metal valley underneath, but from the top I only see weaved shingles (I didn't want to make the problem worse by lifting up the shingles).
I did have a good look to see if any of those shingles had cracked where they are bend to form the valley but to my inexperienced eye they looked fine.
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Beezel
join:2008-12-15
Las Vegas, NV | Out here they mainly use the Spanish ceramic roof tiles. You want to talk about expensive to replace.  |
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| reply to robbin
Weaved is bad if they didn't use ice/water membrane in the valley under it. That is your only protection in a FUBAR installation. You might end up ripping the valley out and redoing it. |
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leiboldPremium,MVM
join:2002-07-09
Sunnyvale, CA
kudos:5 Reviews:
·SONIC.NET
| Given that it didn't leak for over 20 years I wouldn't call it a FUBAR installation. I heard enough horror stories where a new roof leaked after the first rain.
I don't know what is underneath the weave but it might have been a steel valley that has rusted through or a water barrier (roofing felt or polymer lining) that has since torn.
Of two roofers who I had come out to give me repair or replace estimates the first one suggested he could fix it with some type of sealant alone (saying the shingles were still in good condition and therefore no reason to replace them yet) while the second was only interested in selling me a new roof. Business for roofing must be good because several of the local companies I contacted declined to send anybody to provide estimates (some didn't reply at all).
Chances are when I do get it repaired I won't know for a long time whether or not the fix was successful (for the most part we only get rain in winter).
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| reply to robbin
Re: Leaky Roof If they are talking about a sealant coating that covers all of the shingles in that area, it isn't a good idea. The shingles won't be able to expand and contract which will make them deteriorate faster.
Some companies don't want to fix other peoples mistakes or mess with a 20 year old roof. |
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