My Roof Leaks :(

[Telly]

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Originally Posted by Dimsumkid I've never seen a rubber pipe vent cover, all the older homes I've worked on they're all made of a flexible metal, I believe they're lead and last a lifetime if you don't puncture or bend them too much.

Extra (and worthwhile) cost to buy a lead vent flashing. Most are rubber or rubbery plastic these days. When our roof was replaced once again due to giant hail, I specified that only lead vent flashings were to be used. The time before, they ran out of lead flashings and used rubber for a few remaining. Those degraded due to UV. The next time around, I was sure to demand lead, and make sure that that was used on all vents. They were well aware that no stories would cut it with me. No lead, no pay.

Someday, lead vent flashings will probably be outlawed, as some hysterical group will descend upon it... "There's LEAD on our neighbor's roof! It could be wafting through the air, or being dissolved by rain, and poisoning our little Pootsey!" I know that may sound a bit outrageous (now), but could you imagine someone trying to get gasoline approved, if it was just invented now? Or natural gas, and a distribution system to houses? Or, on and on...

[kyounge1956]

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Originally Posted by Meadbh Roofs do need a checkup from time to time. Tree branches fall on them. Leaves bung up the gutters and cause overflow. Flashing and shingles deteriorate. In cold climates, the weight of snow may deform the trusses or even lead to collapse, and certain roof configurations (including mine) are prone to ice damming. I have my roof shovelled at least once every winter to prevent ice damming. My rental property condo board (of which I am a member) has a preventive maintenance program in which a roofing company sends an inspector up on the roof annually, enabling us to address problems as they occur, and to forecast the lifespan of the roof, replacement of which we build into our expense budget projections.

No branches could fall on the roof, the house is taller than all nearby trees. Big snowfall is rare here (although there was the "blizzard of '08" where an unusually large amount of snow fell and then hung around for an unusually long time) but I don't think ice damming is likely. Gutters could clog up, but I don't think mine are—no cascades of water over the edge of the roof when it rains or anything like that.

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I don't know why you are so surprised about the need for roof maintenance.

I guess it is based on my previous experience. I am not so much surprised by need for maintenance as by need this early in the life of the house. I have only owned one other house, but I have lived for more than a decade in two others besides this one. One of those was bought new by my parents in 1967, the other was "pre-owned". In addition to that I have lived in a number of other houses for a year or two. Other than the one bought in 1967, all of the houses were much older than this one. To the best of my recollection, this is the only house I've ever lived in that had a roof leak. Maybe I have just been extremely lucky, but I didn't expect a new roof to be deteriorating so soon. With a brand new roof, I expected to have at least twenty years or so before I had to think about it. My parents' house (built in the late 1940's) has had some leaks. It has a low-sloped roof, even flatter than this house. Maybe the secret is to get a good slope on it and get that water off the roof.

[kyounge1956]

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Originally Posted by davemartin88 Good luck on the inspection of the roof. We're getting our house ready to sell and we had a couple of sewer vent pipe collars that had deteriorated and were leaking a small amount of water in to the attic. House is about 10 years old, cost about $300 to replace one of them. Roofer that did the repair said the type of rubber used in the vents was "builder grade" and they tend to dry out and separate from the pipe after about 10 years. I could see the gap from inside the attic. Newer one has a neoprene gasket and should last longer? We were glad to find our repair turned out be relatively inexpensive, hope you find the same.

I called the company that did my parents' roof and scheduled an estimator to come over next week. I have another number from the choir director but haven't called him yet.

When somebody mentioned roof vents earlier in the thread I went and looked at the spot on the ceiling again. A line through the dryer vent at right angles to the dividing wall between my unit and the other half of the house, goes right through the spot, too. I have called up the building department to get a copy of my house plans so I can see what else is sticking through my roof.

[FreeAtLast]

I had a leak years ago and called a "leak repair specialist". He took the garden hose up onto the roof and had a coworker climb into the attic and they had 2 way radios to communicate to pinpoint the leak.

He told me he was not a roofer but simply fixed leaks. Seems like the guy found a niche business.

It was solid as a rock with no leaks for about 5 years until after hurricane Wilma. I called him again and he did his thing but this time it did not work. I later put in an insurance claim when all of my neighbors were getting new roofs. The insurance company eventually paid for a new roof due to wind damage.

You must fix it. It will only get worse, and/or cause internal damage. It might be something very simple.