stole

Big rain yesterday, and I found several leaking spots on the ceiling in the bathroom. Could anybody tell me whether this is caused by a leaking roof? And how to repair it?

I uploaded the pictures to my flickr, and this is the link.

2011-05-03 13.08.56 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

2011-05-03 13.08.38 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


thanks.

oldognewtrick

Without being on the roof I can only guess an improperly installed skylight flashing or a faulty skylight dome, itself. The other leak could be almost anything from damaged shingle, leaking pipe boot flashing to ??? Heck I've even found bullet holes in roofs.

If you aren't comfortable on the roof, call a roofing contractor to give an estimate. Most usually come by for free and will provide an assessment of what it will take to repair or replace that area.

...oh, and welcome to House Repair Talk!

oldognewtrick

You'd be surprised how many bullet holes we've found over the years. People celebrate on New Years, grab the pistol, head outside at midnight, pop off a couple rounds and what goes up, must come down.

stole

Thanks, oldog. I found the water mark on the ceiling is barely noticable right now. Is it a problem that I have to fix right away? will it get worse over time?

joecaption

Think about the question you just asked. No it's not going to fix it's self and no it's not going to be less work or get any better if you put off fixing it. If you wait plan on replacing the whole ceiling and insulation in the attic and some of the sheathing on the roof may be rotted.

stole

Can I go on to the roof, find the leaking spot, and use the roof caulk to seal the roof? Is it the right thing to do? Can I walk directly on the roof, or is there anyting I need to pay attention to when walking on the roof?

thanks!

joecaption

Caulk is almost never the thing to use and fix it right. It will just crack and leak again. When a new roof goes on caulking is never used.
If your not even sure if you can walk on the roof then it really would be best to hire someone to come take a look at this. Your not going to know what to look for how to fix it or where to look. Any real roofer in most cases unless the whole roof needs replacing, will figure it out in a few min. fix it and be gone.
Pictures of the ceiling will do nothing to show us where the roof may be lekaing.

oldognewtrick

Yes, you can go on the roof, but how steep is it? And what type of roof surface is it?

Roof cement can be used if it is not exposed to UV rays. For exposed caulking I'd recommend a tri-polymer or rubber based caulking NOT SILICONE.

You can walk on most roof surfaces without damage as long as you are careful, wear soft sole shoes.

You also need to pay attention to gravity, it can kill you.

stole

bought a roof caulk (black) from home depot, and went onto the roof to caulk around the skylight window. Done without breaking my bones.

The roof caulk is different from silicone, it is more sticky, you have to use miner spirit to wash it off from hands, painfully.

oldognewtrick

WD40 will work also. Good job, now we'll see what happens when it rains. Did you see anything that looked like it was the leak source?