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For the two years or I have been desperately trying to find the source of water entry into my window. I'll try and describe the problem the best I can.
This problem appears only occasionally, probably 4-5 times over the last two years. It only shows up after either 1) persistent rain; it either has to be a very heavy rain for a sustained amount of time, or sort of a constant rain that lasts for an extended amount of time. 2) After a significant amount of snow on the roof has begun melting. I understand the problem always exists, but these are the only times when it presents evidence.
The problem: Water will drip into the window from the top of the window frame, puddling on the sill. Not that it matters, but the window is approximately 8ft wide by 4ft tall.
The window is under a peak on the roof, the peak runs perpendicular to the window. What I mean by this is the window is on a south wall of the house and the peak runs east and west.
The roof is only 4 years old, and I did the work myself. No contractors to blame here . I know that a leak in the field of shingles is rare. I've inspected these for any errant nails, etc and can't find anything. I've checked the most prone entry points for water several times and can't seem to find an issue. The prone points that would affect this section of roof are 1) A square attic vent 2)The valleys that run along the peak on the roof 3)The chimney flashing.
I've gone up on the roof with a house and really tried to find the problem with a leak test and have come up with nothing. It's possible I'm not running the hose long enough, because as I said the leak does not happen very often.
Unfortunately there is no attic in this section of my house, and I realize this would be the best way to look for signs of water entry. There is no staining of the drywall on the ceiling, or on the wall above the window. None of it feels soft either.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can track down this problem? I'm obviously not thrilled at the idea of tearing out my living room ceiling, but I'm frustrated and almost at that point. What pro would I even call to investigate the issue, and what could they do aside from opening up the ceiling? If it comes to that I'd just assume do it myself. Would a roofer even be interested in coming out for this? I don't want to be faced with a sales pitch.
Any advice would be appreciated. I really need to solve this!
Last edited by clawsondude; 10-28-2016 at 07:42 AM..
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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Are you certain it isn't actually the window?
When I use the hose method, I have to let it run for several minutes in one spot, before moving on, in order to recreate the leak. In other words, it takes longer than you might think.
All of that being said, my most common roof leaks have come from the plumbing vent boot (in my experience, this usually fails after 5 years) and the ridge vent. Not sure if you have one of those or not. Is there a gutter near that area? Did you install a drip edge?
As for finding someone to help....I had to interview many roofers before I found someone. It was a process, but totally worth finding the right person. If you can find a good handyman (I know its hard to find one) he might be able to help you,too.
Just a thought, but you might not have to tear out the whole ceiling. My plumber has a camera that he can insert in a small hole in the ceiling/wall and has found leaks that way. Thinking maybe you could call a plumber and have him use that camera?
Good luck. I know how frustrating it can be. Hopefully, someone more knowledgeable will chime in.
When I use the hose method, I have to let it run for several minutes in one spot, before moving on, in order to recreate the leak. In other words, it takes longer than you might think.
All of that being said, my most common roof leaks have come from the plumbing vent boot (in my experience, this usually fails after 5 years) and the ridge vent. Not sure if you have one of those or not. Is there a gutter near that area? Did you install a drip edge?
As for finding someone to help....I had to interview many roofers before I found someone. It was a process, but totally worth finding the right person. If you can find a good handyman (I know its hard to find one) he might be able to help you,too.
Just a thought, but you might not have to tear out the whole ceiling. My plumber has a camera that he can insert in a small hole in the ceiling/wall and has found leaks that way. Thinking maybe you could call a plumber and have him use that camera?
Good luck. I know how frustrating it can be. Hopefully, someone more knowledgeable will chime in.
The plumber is actually not bad advice and I never thought of it! I have a cousin who owns a sewer drain cleaning business with one of those cameras. Although I know it has been in some nasty places, being up in the roof wouldn't really bother me.
The plumbing vent boot would not affect this area of the roof due to the way the roof is designed. There is a gutter near the area but it is clear. As for a drip edge, yes I installed one.
Thanks for the camera idea, it didn't even occur to me.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,941,823 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clawsondude
The plumber is actually not bad advice and I never thought of it! I have a cousin who owns a sewer drain cleaning business with one of those cameras. Although I know it has been in some nasty places, being up in the roof wouldn't really bother me.
The plumbing vent boot would not affect this area of the roof due to the way the roof is designed. There is a gutter near the area but it is clear. As for a drip edge, yes I installed one.
Thanks for the camera idea, it didn't even occur to me.
You're welcome and hope it helps.
Until then, you could also try a moisture meter. You can get one for under $30 and maybe it can help you trace the path of the water. Has probes that you insert into the drywall (they leave tiny little pin holes) and perhaps you could trace the path of the water that way, too.
I have found it useful because sometimes you can't tell by touching the drywall if it's really dry.
I spent days trying to find a leak, roof wasn't old enough to replace but old enough it wasn't worth fixing one section so we ended up just putting a new one on. While removing the roof the actual point it was leaking in was pretty far away from where the wet spot was occurring.
Just a thought - gutters can have splashback, where the gutter functions normally, but a small amount of water splashes upward out of it and onto any supporting structure. A fix might be as simple as temporarily removing the gutter and a fresh coat or two of good paint.
Until then, you could also try a moisture meter. You can get one for under $30 and maybe it can help you trace the path of the water. Has probes that you insert into the drywall (they leave tiny little pin holes) and perhaps you could trace the path of the water that way, too.
I have found it useful because sometimes you can't tell by touching the drywall if it's really dry.
I'd still go with the camera just to see what's going on up there, though.
I think I'll pick one of those up. It's cheap enough that even if it doesn't lead me to the leak I'm not out much money, and as you said it could be useful for other things. About how deep do the probes penetrate? I assume that the water is running down the drywall or a rafter, then pooling somewhere until there is enough to actually begin leaking. Do you have any idea if it is sensitive enough to pick up moisture in drywall that may be farther up the ceiling where the water isn't pooling? For reference, the ceiling in this room is sloped, probably about 15 feet high at the peak and the standard 8 feet at the wall.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clawsondude
I think I'll pick one of those up. It's cheap enough that even if it doesn't lead me to the leak I'm not out much money, and as you said it could be useful for other things. About how deep do the probes penetrate? I assume that the water is running down the drywall or a rafter, then pooling somewhere until there is enough to actually begin leaking. Do you have any idea if it is sensitive enough to pick up moisture in drywall that may be farther up the ceiling where the water isn't pooling? For reference, the ceiling in this room is sloped, probably about 15 feet high at the peak and the standard 8 feet at the wall.
The probe I linked is the one I use and the only one I'm familiar with. The pins do not go in very far..I don't have it in front of me, but the pins only go in about 1/4 of an inch. You have to insert the pins to get a reading. The meter shows a percentage of moisture. A little bit of moisture is normal, when the moisture gets too high (because of a leak), the meter turns red and beeps.
I had a roof leak in my bedroom. I saw the stain. It never actually leaked--I never saw water, just a light stain. Using the meter, I could see the moisture was too high even though the spot actually felt dry. Using the meter, I could poke around the stain and was able to track the path of the water and figure out the leak.
In other words, the meter was picking up too high moisture (indicating a leak in my case) even though the ceiling wasn't even stained and felt dry. Keep in mind, drywall is not very thick---it's only 3/8 to 1/2 inch.
I also use the moisture meter to see if I have an active leak---to make sure any repairs I've done are still working.
In your case, I don't know how long it's been since the drywall got wet. Obviously, drywall dries out---usually in a couple of days, depending on how wet it got. So if you haven't noticed a leak in the past couple of days, the drywall has probably already dried out and you're not going to pick up moisture.
This does leave little pin holes in your ceiling. I just fill them in and touch up with paint.
There are pinless meters, too. I don't have experience with them.
Cool, thanks for the additional details. It's probably been about a week since the problem last popped up. As I mentioned, it could be many months before it happens again. I think I'll grab one of these and use it next time. Hopefully it will at least help me narrow down the area the problem originates in. As I said, this has been incredibly frustrating and visible inspection has not turned anything up. If only this part of my house had an attic!
I also think I'll stick with the version with pins. I saw the pinless type you mentioned and it just seems like this would work better. Dealing with some very small pinholes doesn't seem like much trouble.
You didn't say what kind of siding is around the window. If it's vinyl, Hardi, or wood, I'd check the trim above the window for caulk. It should have a flashing above the window behind the siding but sometimes the flashing will get surged in a heavy rain and it can get past it. We caulk the tops and side but not the bottoms of all of our trim around windows where there is not brick. We set our windows in silicone, then we use a metal window flashing above the window, then we use a window seal tape that we also staple in place . I don't and won't have leaking windows on any of my houses.
If the siding is brick. There should be a lintel (steel) above the window that the brick sits on. It should have weepholes every2 feet to drain any rain water out of the lintel area. If it doesn't have them, you can get a 3/8" masonry carbide bit and drill them in or if they are clogged with mortar you can drill out the mortar.
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. I know that a leak in the field of shingles is rare. I've inspected these for any errant nails, etc and can't find anything. I've checked the most prone entry points for water several times and can't seem to find an issue. The prone points that would affect this section of roof are 1) A square attic vent 2)The valleys that run along the peak on the roof 3)The chimney flashing. 
