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Leaking attic gable vents

9K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  housedocs 
#1 ·
Two of our shuttered gable vents are leaking in a hard rain. They have been boarded up and caulked but are still leaking. We do not need them for ventilation purposes. Two bedroom ceilings have water marks. They are on the south/east side of a 10 year old 2 story house built on a hill. Any ideas what to do? Does it have to be solved on the outside of the roof instead? Thank you.
 
#3 ·
Water can do some strange things once it gets inside your house. This could be coming in from the gable vents or could be from the roof, no way to tell until you get up there and take a closer look.

You need to get up in the attic and trace down where the water is first coming in. Look for discolored marks on the rafters, ceiling joists, and the underside of the roof decking. That's usually half the battle in fixing a leaky roof, window etc, discovering exactly how the water is getting in. From there you can usually determine what is culprit is. Clogged gutters, worn out flashing, dried out caulking and what need to be done to repair the problem.

Be careful in the attic, stay on the walk boards if there are any, if not stay on the rafters and take it easy. Aaron's right, photos would make it easier for us to assess the problem.
 
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