How to Spot a Roof Leak

Knowing you have a roof leak is usually obvious when you see the water spot on your ceiling. However, it can be much harder to pinpoint the cause of the leak.

5 potential signs of a roof leak:

• Water spots on your ceiling or walls.
• Missing shingles.
• Cracked or damaged shingles.
• Missing or damaged flashing or boot covers to roof penetrations.
• Water spots or wet roof decking (seen through the attic).

What causes a roof leak?

Once inside the attic, water can travel along rafters and other horizontal surfaces making it difficult to find the exact entry point.

Missing flashing

You may assume your shingles are at fault, but it could be missing flashing around a chimney, or some other entry point, that’s allowing the water to get inside your attic.

Missing, cracked, or damaged shingles

If shingles are missing, cracked, or otherwise damaged, water can, over time, begin to leak into the home. A leak can start out small and slowly cause a lot of damage if a warning sign is ignored.

Ice dams

Water entry can also be caused by an ice dam. Ice dams are formed by the continual thawing of snow over the warmer portions of the roof and refreezing over the cold eave. The ice dam can cause water to back up under shingles.

Blog courtesy of Owens Corning Roofing