Roof Leak - couple of questions

[drewboy]

My roof is leaking in the valley areas of an addition that was built about 10 years ago. I need a new roof but it's gonna have to wait till spring due to a scheduled lay-off and lack of $$ this time of year. The area I need to cover is 24x16 but the two roofs intersect so it will be a little tricky to cover it and try to minimize the folds due to the two valleys. I also have to make a cut to allow for the plumbing vent (which is directly in the valley).

Questions: Would you use a heavy-duty tarp or do you think 6 mil plastic will hold up to the snow and wind if it is screwed down with 1x3 strapping?
Do I have any other options that are not too costly?

The price is about the same for each but I can get the poly in clear and I'm trying to minimize the eyesore (although leak-free is priority one)
Any ideas would help as I have a relatively small window to get this roof covered before the next snow/rain.
Thanks, Rob

 

[SolarAndWood]

I would use rain and ice barrier instead of a tarp. It comes in 3' rolls and bonds together once the sun shines on it. You could run it vertically and go over the ridge to make sure no water gets behind it. Tarps in your climate will be a disaster.

 

[Gooserider]

I was thinking something like a few buckets of roofing tar with some roofing felt, or possibly roll roofing material over it... Start with a V in the valleys, and work up and out from there... But I'm not a roofer, so no promises...

Gooserider

 

[Nic36]

I discovered my 3 year old roof was leaking in two of the 4 valleys. Needless to say, I'm a bit ticked over that. Anyway, I went to Lowe's and bought some "Leak Stopper" rubberized asphalt in the (red) tube in the roof section. I put a bead down where the two shingles meet and any other areas I thought water may get in. I used one tube for each valley. It is black in color. I tried the clear stuff on one valley. It rained the next day and washed it all away.

So far, I have not seen any leaks.

By the way, I have read that the valleys is where most leaks occur. This is due to improper installation of shingles allowing water to basically wick in. To do it properly, metal flashing must be used or the shingles cut in a manner that will not allow the water to get in.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I was thinking something like a few buckets of roofing tar with some roofing felt, or possibly roll roofing material over it... Start with a V in the valleys, and work up and out from there... But I'm not a roofer, so no promises...

Gooserider

I'd just hit it with the tar and leave it until I could do the roof correctly. But that's me and I'm not a roofer either.

Matt

 

[MrEd]

Is it leaking when it rains? or is it leaking when the ice backs things up? If it is the the latter, and I have the same problem on occassion, but a section of the "heat wire" (or whatever it is called), to prevent dams prevents the problem. In fact, just last night I got a drop or two, turned on the heat-wire, and voila, problem solved.

I also need a new roof soon, but don't have $20K sitting around to hire someone at the moment...

 

[Gooserider]

I was thinking something like a few buckets of roofing tar with some roofing felt, or possibly roll roofing material over it... Start with a V in the valleys, and work up and out from there... But I'm not a roofer, so no promises...

Gooserider

I'd just hit it with the tar and leave it until I could do the roof correctly. But that's me and I'm not a roofer either.

Matt

My idea behind using the felt or equivalent was that even if the tar didn't seal whatever leak there was, the felt would make the water shed away from it... However it would also make it a real bear to do the strip later when you went to fix things...

Gooserider

 

[wtb1]

Whatever you do when you get the roof fixed in the spring make sure they put down a good quality valley flashing before laying shingles. This will go a long way in keeping water out of your house. ANd just do not assume it will be done, make sure. We had a leak in our brand new house we had built. It was where a first story roof abuted our second story. Went back and forth with our roofer and asked if flashing was put down and he said "sure". Got up on a ladder one day and right at the edge of the roof there was no flashing for about a foot. Had our builder out to look at it and he was taken aback. Needless to say the roofer had to come back out and re flash the entire joint. I was there to watch this time

 

[dvellone]

I would use rain and ice barrier instead of a tarp. It comes in 3' rolls and bonds together once the sun shines on it. You could run it vertically and go over the ridge to make sure no water gets behind it. Tarps in your climate will be a disaster.

I agree with SolarAndWood. This is bullet-proof underlayment that will let you rest easy through the winter. It's not similar to felt, but instead will weather extremes while exposed.

Owens Corning makes a few different products all under the "ice and water barrier" name.

 

[Hogwildz]

Ice & Water shield is not meant to be exposed to the sun. It will deteriorate if left exposed. It is meant for underneath the shingles.
When you do redo the valleys, put Ice & Water shield in them before the felt & shingles are applied. End of problem.
It won't last long exposed on the top side.
To temp for now, get yourself a 5 gallon can of roof cement and a roll of 12" or whatever side you need fabric (made for use with roof cement), put a layer of roof cement on the problem area(s), then lay the fabric in and work it into the roof cement with a trowel, then apply another layer of roof cement on top of the fabric, covering it. If you don't use the mesh/fabric, the cement will crack with season changes. May last a lil while, but will crack open in time without the fabric. You could also remove the shingles from the valley about 3' to 4' each side, then add ice & water shield, and re-shingle in with new shingles. I had to do the same when I moved in here, due to prior owners lack of roofing ability & knowledge.

When you do get the roof redone, have them install Ice & Water shield in all the valleys & eaves (gutter edges). Some folks also do the rakes. But eaves & valleys are where it is definitely needed.
I also put it around any skylights etc.

 

[bocephus]

I would also seriously look into getting that vent moved out of the valley at all costs. that is going to be nothing but problems for years to come. A valley is a problem area to begin with, but a vent in there is just asking for trouble.

 

[drewboy]

Thanks for the replies. It looks like I will be the one doing the roof in the spring - my step-dad said he prolly didn't have another roof left in him , but he'd be glad to sit up on the roof with some beer and be the foreman. I'll def. be putting ice/water shield in the valleys as the ice dams in the winter have been a continuous problem since I bought the house. Bocephus - yeah that was a great idea to get that vent out of that valley - that thing has leaked on and off quite a bit but believe it or not the interior damage has been minimal so far. Time to save some money...

Thanks again, Rob

 

[dvellone]

Ice & Water shield is not meant to be exposed to the sun. It will deteriorate if left exposed. It is meant for underneath the shingles.

That's true, and when applying it as your underlayment you'd certainly want to adhere to the manufacturer's recommendations. But you're looking for a durable temporary fix here to be applied over your existing roofing and ice and water shield would serve you very well, and by no means would deteriorate any perceptible amount through the winter. I'm sure the plastic sheeting and tarp manufacturers wouldn't recommend their products as finished roofing materials either. 6 mil plastic sheeting will break down fairly quickly when exposed to uv for any prolonged period and most tarps will also break down under the same conditions though much more slowly than 6 mil sheeting. Sealing their edges well would be a chore. The cost of ice and water barrier is much less than the damage that may occur if your leaks continue through the winter.

 

[SolarAndWood]

But you're looking for a durable temporary fix here to be applied over your existing roofing and ice and water shield would serve you very well, and by no means would deteriorate any perceptible amount through the winter.

The other nice thing about using ice & water over a tarp as a temporary fix is you have a chance of keeping it on your roof in the wind and when the snow decides to slide off it.

Rob, when you do the roof, installing a ridge vent is pretty inexpensive/easy and the hip and ridge shingles hide it pretty well. Combine it with soffit vents and your ice damming should be a thing of the past. Be prepared for some rot especially in that valley, fixing it can be tough when you are trying to bang it out in a weekend and not leave a hole in your house.

 

[drewboy]

But you're looking for a durable temporary fix here to be applied over your existing roofing and ice and water shield would serve you very well, and by no means would deteriorate any perceptible amount through the winter.

The other nice thing about using ice & water over a tarp as a temporary fix is you have a chance of keeping it on your roof in the wind and when the snow decides to slide off it.

Rob, when you do the roof, installing a ridge vent is pretty inexpensive/easy and the hip and ridge shingles hide it pretty well. Combine it with soffit vents and your ice damming should be a thing of the past. Be prepared for some rot especially in that valley, fixing it can be tough when you are trying to bang it out in a weekend and not leave a hole in your house.

SolarandWood- Believe it or not, I have ridge vents, gable vents, and soffit vents...still a real problem with ice dams. I also seem to be properly insulated in the attic area.
Devillone- Do you think the ice/water shield will still allow water underneath or will the edges seal pretty well to the shingles??

Rob

 

[dvellone]

Devillone- Do you think the ice/water shield will still allow water underneath or will the edges seal pretty well to the shingles??

Rob

I think I would help out those edges with a nice bead of PL polyurethane roofing caulk and roofing nails. Pl makes a polyurethane wet roof cement I think. It's great roofing cement.

 

[SolarAndWood]

When going over the shingles as a temporary fix, you want something like a 3' overlap onto the dry area and run it up and over the ridge a foot or so.

Rob, something has to be blocking the bays or maybe the screens in the vents are plugged. Have you actually seen the soffit vents or is it vented vinyl? Two houses ago, I pulled them off and found that they never cut the original soffit when they installed the vinyl. A quick cut with the circular saw and the problem was solved.

 

[benjamin]

I agree with solar as to the venting and ice dams, you also need to look at air leakage, not insulation. If the air is leaking it doesn't matter what your insulation value is.

Have you taken a real good look at that vent flashing in the valley. I'd bet that's your biggest problem. That seems like an easy tar fix to me, for a few months that is, then get it out of that valley.

semi-pro roofer who knows more about roofs than trees

 

[northwinds]

I stumbled across this thread at the same time that I'm dealing with this issue for the first time on a house
we're in the process of buying.

At the inspection, there was evidence of leaking along a valley between the garage and a three season porch.
An area roofer has proposed Geoceal in the valley which he says will seal the valley for 4-5 years. Is this a
good solution? Any downside?

 

[Danno77]

I'm not sure about how your valley is shingled right now, but on my roof I have overlapping shingles on the valley and it is ok. Is there any way you can buy one package on three tab shingles and cut the tabs apart and just start overlapping at the bottom? This will only work if the edges of each tab are UNDERNEATH the shingles to the sides. Because of that requirement it probably won't work for you, but I thought I'd throw it out there because it's a 20 dollar fix and it would be better than tar or plastic by far.