ROOF LEAKS

    In over 23 years, most roof leaks we've seen which occurred on "steep" pitched roofs were due to flashing problems. It's not a matter of simply using, or installing flashings. The flashings must be of adequate size, the right type of flashing used... sometimes specific to the type of roof covering installed, and they must be tied-in with the roof material in the way that allows them to work as designed.

Flashings

  Flashings are used to tie in the roof with walls, skylights, plumbing vent pipes, furnace pipes, chimneys, gutter/drip edges, pitch changes, roof vents, swamp coolers, air conditioners, and generally all other protrusions and abutments.

  Most flashing related leaks we've seen were workmanship related.

   Number 1 on this list is not having tied in the flashing in the right way, at the right points, with each row of shingles.

  Perhaps the second most common cause is "sloppy" fabrication of flashing corners. This is where 2 or more flashings are used at the corners of walls, chimneys, skylights, etc. If the corners are not snipped and folded around each other in a good fitting "tight" manner, then there is a big gaping hole which must be filled with caulking or some other goop. Even the better caulkings will start to "lift away" and peel up from the surface after a period of time, allowing water to enter. If the corners are a good fit, it still needs to be caulked, but it will stay sealed much longer.

This skylight was never flashed in with the second layer of shingles, creating a situation where it's constantly opening up as the tar dries out and cracks open.

 
  Another potential flashing leak is the inadequate number of step flashings used. There should be a minimum of 1 step flashing per every row of shingle. Using less than this can allow water to eventually seep sideways "behind things", instead of constantly working its way onto the next shingle.

This chimney leaked from the top, running behind the siding, AND from the sloppy roof flashing work

   Installing any shingle type {asphalt, wood, metal, etc.} over a lower-pitched area can allow water to seep sideways and meander till it finds an opening. Once water finds a way under the shingles, it tends to dam up between the underlayments and the shingles, as it's trapped there. Generally speaking, anything less than a 4/12 pitch needs to have a more elaborate underlayment installed, whether that be an additional layer of felt with extra wide drip edge flashings, or a modified membrane underlayment {commonly referred to as an "ice&water"
membrane}, with extra wide flashings. Most localities around here do not allow shingles to be used on anything under a 2/12 pitch.

This area leaked due to insuficient flashing/detail work. This bit of repair work fixed it permanently.

  Undersized and rusted flashings account for some of the leaks we've seen.

  Valley leaks tend to be installation related. There's so many "odd" simple/complicated possibilities here that I'll leave it at that.

Again, this chimney was massively "gooped", rather than reflashing/tying in with second layer of shingles.

  When having your house re roofed, it makes sense to install all new flashings. Flashings themselves account for a small percentage of the total material cost, but it can take a lot more labor and skill to install them, particularly at the walls, skylights, swamp coolers, chimneys, etc. This may be why many roofers reuse the old ones. Time IS money. But it's YOUR money.

This roof/gutter/fasica/valley juncture is one of the more common types of leaks encountered. Rather than install the required flashings, someone gooped it. It's leaked. It will leak.

Other Causes

   Other possible, though less frequent "steep" roof leaks are ice damming, plugged gutters and downspouts, lack of gutter/roof drip flashings, animal damage to wall/roof surfaces, holes through the roof, brick&mortar and stucco chimney deterioration, deterioration to the roof covering due to age, improper installation of the shingles themselves, and tree limb punctures, lightening, etc.

Flat Roofs

   Flat roof leaks can be more difficult to diagnose because of the fact that water can travel "all over the place" before it shows up inside. This is compounded if there's more than 1 layer up there, because the water has a potentially wider area it can become trapped in, before it meanders to that one spot which allows it to drop in.

But, areas that tend to leak are all protrusions such as chimneys, pipes, skylights, ductwork, walls, etc.

The metal edge flashings will leak at some point due to expansion/contraction.

   Simple deterioration of the roof material itself results in leaks. The seams of whatever material used can open up, causing the leak. Holes and cracks can appear.

This modified membrane roof is over 20 years old. It's badly cracked all over.

Here's a flat roof which is definately "deteriorated", left this way for years.

And actual holes caused by animals, trees, rocks thrown up by kids, vandalous adults, etc. can cause your leak

Flat roofs tend to be far more susceptible to leaking due to shoddy workmanship. It takes much more work/time to install the details on flat roofs than on steep ones. But even when installed correctly, with the utmost in craftsmanship utilized, all flat roofs reach a stage where they will require ongoing repairs and maintenance in order to keep them functioning {no leaks}. Repairs may be required within several years or 10 years . They've not come up with a flat roof system which does not open up somewhere at some point, unlike shingled steep roofs, which have the potential to run their 20-40 year life, never having experienced a leak.

This flat roof was "re roofed" with a 3-tab shingle. Just think of all the time that went into this nonsense...

Random Causes

   Certain weather conditions that might be considered abnormal can cause leaks to occur in an otherwise "water tight" roof. Roofs should be installed in a way that stands up to the expected weather conditions. .This should include severe weather "swings" , such as extremely deep snow, creeping ice, wind-driven rain, etc. During the last several years, we've experienced several extremely abnormal weather storms. These consisted of 4-5 ft. of snow on roofs, 3-4 days of continous "cats and dogs" rain, and hail storms which resulted in 2ft. or more of melting slushy hail..
 
 Snow storms which have the power to collapser structures, can also cause leaks in roofs that have never had a problem.

The effect of this is that it sort of turns a steep roof into a flat roof. Since steep roofs rely on gravity, there's a certain point where 1-2 ft. of hail, or 4-5 ft. of snow sitting on the roof starts to run in to areas which would never leak otherwise. Because gravity is at work, and the moisture level is higher than possible points of entry, it's understandable how leaks could occur on an otherwise "watertight" roof. Are there further redundancies that could be built into steep roofs which would unconditionally withstand the occasional 75 yr or 100yr. storm? Yes. But the additional costs in materials and labor would make them cost prohibitive to nearly all homeowners. That said, a well-installed roof should have a good redundancy built into it which can withstand the types of severe weather swings we experience in Colorado year after year.

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