How To Find A Water Leak In Your Roof

Looking for roof leaks on the outside of your house.

How to find a water leak in your roof.

Sometimes the water shows up at a ceiling spot distant from the leak. Here s how it works. Sure it s easy enough to spot water stains on the ceiling or mold growth sure signs of a leak. How to water test your roof for leaks.

Don t go crazy with the water. The other person goes inside the attic with a bucket and a strong light. Find a friend to help with the roof leak test. Roof leaks follow the path of least resistance which makes them difficult to find when you don t know where to look.

The hardest part of fixing a roof leak. If you don t want to wait for rain to look for the leak try bringing the garden hose up on the roof. Roof leaks can be cause by missing shingles gaps in the metal flashing around chimneys and vent pipes or small holes in the roofing. A lot of times it s simply locating the problem.

Water testing for roof leaks. 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. Projections or penetrations such as vents dormers and chimneys are frequent places for leaks. Be sure to start small.

One person will be outside the house with a garden hose running water over the roof. And fixing a leaky roof can be less time consuming than locating where the water is coming in. If you notice that eaves or downspouts are clogged remove the clogging material pine needles leaves etc and restore the flow of water. Learning how to find a roof leak is easy but accomplishing the task can be frustrating.

The other person will be inside the attic watching the area for water leaks. To do this one person goes onto the roof with a garden hose. Have a helper stationed in the attic with a flashlight. Excess rainwater or snowmelt with no downspout to flow through will eventually seep through your roof and walls resulting in leaks.

The structure of an asphalt shingle roof makes it even more difficult because. Some roof leaks are tough to locate. Water frequently enters the house near things that go through the roof. Again practice safety first.