[bifjamod]

I have traced a leak to relatively minor damage at a seam in the roof. This is compounded by a hole in the baffles, which allows the water to drain into the ceiling below, instead of transporting it out to the eaves or soffit, for draining. I'm making an assumption, at this point, that the water would drain out safely, anyway, if the holes weren't in the baffles. The leak is due to wind-driven rain; it has gone through to the ceiling 3 times in 8 months, even with many storms during that time.

My two questions are:
(1) Can the baffle be patched up with something to prevent the drainage to the ceiling, and if so, how?
(2) Should the seam damage be repaired at this point, and if so, how? I can't help but wonder if simply attempting to seal the damaged area would cause the water to travel and enter somewhere else?

TIA

 

[Ed the Roofer]

Water should never make it to the wafer board decking you have, so there must be a problem, on top with the shingles in that area to allow the penetration through the the decking into the attic.

Take a photo of that area on top of the roof, but be safe doing so.

Ed

 

[tinner666]

Ed is right. You have a missing shingle or hole in the roof.

 

[bifjamod]

Thank you both. You have helped me realize that although I located the point of entry, I have not identified the cause.

I inspected the area of roof above the point of entry last fall, but turned up nothing. I think I will perform a more thorough inspection of the roof now, albeit with binocs and/or telephoto lens. It'll probably be at least two weeks, but I'll post the results for further consideration.

Thanks again.

 

[Ed the Roofer]

You are welcome and please do post the photos of the area, both in wide angle and in zoom, right on the spot determined to be the leak and above it too.

Ed

 

[bifjamod]

I've finally gotten a closer look at the roof - photos below. I've circled in red 2 possible spots of water getting under the shingles, but they seem unlikely.

I've also noted in blue the approximate area the water is actually penetrating the sheathing: there is nothing evident. Of course, these photos are taken from ground level, but even a closer inspection from a ladder last fall did not reveal anything obvious.

Suggestions or comments?

 

[bifjamod]

*BUMP* Any thoughts on how best to proceed greatly appreciated!

 

[skymaster]

very possible it is leakin high where u marked in red, running under shingles and hitting a spot where the paper is either damaged or missing and then running into attic. Those places u marked sure look like they need fixin asap

 

[bifjamod]

Assuming the point of water entry below the shingles and in to the paper is occurring at some point higher than the point of entry through the sheathing (seems logical enough), perhaps even as far away from said point as the circled areas mentioned above, can one of the pro's out there give me some idea of what I can expect from a professional roofer during the troubleshooting process, as well as likely repair and a range of what I can expect it to cost?

My thought is that the only real option here is to start pulling shingles at the point of entry through the sheathing and try to trace the water from there. I hate to think of someone having to pull all the shingles on that part of the roof to find this leak, so maybe there are more advanced options?

The reason I ask is that I do want to have some idea of what to expect, so that I don't get taken for ride by a contractor.

Thanks to all for the assistance!

 

[jogr]

The contractor can only trace it as far as he can on the inside and look for obvious problems outside. He can also test using a hose and slowly working his way up. Then it's going to be guessing and trial and error. A pro of course should have a lot of experience which should mean he'll have fewer guesses.

I would suspect the valley to the right of your blue circle in the last picture. If the double rafters in the first photo are part of the framing of the step in the roof peak then I think your blue circle might misplaced just a tad too far from the valley but hard to tell from the pics.

If you want to try the hose trick you might be able to pinpoint the leak for the contractor to save him some time. Have someone in the attic and talk to them on the phone or walkie talkie while you slowly work your way up the roof. If you go to fast you'll overshoot the area before the water has time to leak through. BTW, be careful and don't fall off the roof.