Common Causes of Roof Leaks

A stained ceiling due to a roof leak.

The last thing anyone wants is a roof leak. Wondering what caused the leak and how much it will cost to repair the roof leads to a lot of worry for homeowners. The reality is that most roof leaks are due to a few common causes. If the cause of the leak isn’t immediately apparent, a local roofing company can help you determine the cause of your leak and repair your roof.

No matter what the cause of the roof leak is, it’s important to address it right away. You never know what kind of unseen damage a roofing leak is doing to your home. The biggest concern with a roof leak is the possibility for mold and mildew to form, which is a potential health hazard. Even a small, slow leak can cause costly damage over time. A minor roof repair can help prevent a full roof replacement.

Information is the best way for homeowners to have peace of mind so keep reading to find out more about the common causes of roof leaks and remember that Orbit Roofing can help you determine the cause of your roof leak. We’ll give you the best possible roof repair options so that you can make a decision for your home with confidence.

1. Roof Leaks: Pipe Flashing

A newly installed pipe vent and flashing, painted to match the new roof.

Pipe flashing, or a pipe boot, is a type of roof flashing that goes around the base of the pipes that come out of your roof. Roof vent pipes are plumbing vents that help regulate the pressure in the home’s drainpipes, allowing wastewater flow out. These pipes run vertically up through the walls of your home and out of the roof, eliminating the risk of methane gas from finding its way back into your home.

Pipe flashing can be made from lead, plastic, neoprene, or other flexible materials. The flexibility of the flashing allows it to be adjusted to the roof’s pitch for a weathertight seal. The main job of the pipe boot, or pipe flashing, is to stop water from following the pipe down through your roof and into your home. With some types of flashing, such as neoprene, UV rays from the sun can degrade the flashing over time and it can crack. Once the pipe flashing is cracked, it is no longer weathertight, and water can leak into your home. You may see the evidence of a pipe boot failure in a closet, kitchen, bathroom, or wherever the pipe exits the roof.

How long pipe flashing lasts will depend on the material it’s made from, the location of the flashing on the roof, its exposure to the elements, and any possible animal intrusion. If you’re suffering a roof leak, you can go outside to look at you roof and find the location that best matches where the leak is occurring. If there’s a pipe vent located near the source of the leak, this could be the cause of your roof leak.

As with all roof leaks it’s important to get this roof leak repair completed as soon as you notice the problem. The longer that this leak is allowed to happen, the more damage that can happen.

2. Roof Leaks: Improperly Driven Nails

When you have a new roof installed on your home, your shingles are installed using either a nail gun or they are hand nailed. No matter the installation method, the nail will hold tight if it hits good wood. However, if a nail isn’t driven in far enough, or is driven in sideways, it can back out of the shingle.

When it rains, water will follow the nail down and find its way into your home. This is also a common occurrence with decking nails. If the nails didn’t hit wood when the framing of your home was completed, they can back out of the roof decking.

3. Roof Leaks: Clogged Gutters

An older roof with leaf clogged gutters can contribute to roof leaks.

Your home’s gutters are designed to collect rainwater that flows from your roof and divert it away from your home. When a home’s gutters are clogged with leaves and tree debris, your home has no way to drain water away from your roof during and after heavy rains, allowing the water that was collected to stagnate in the gutter trough. Water that is trapped in a clogged gutter will build up and can potentially get under the roof coating, causing damage to the edge of your roof’s surface and underlying materials.

If clogged gutters continue to collect water, you’ll begin to see signs of water damage in your home’s interior. Over time, this water seepage has the potential to put structural components of your home at risk, as well as furniture, appliances, and your homes electrical systems. You will see evidence of a leak due to clogged gutters wherever the water has gotten underneath the soffit. The location of the gutter trough will determine where in your home you will see evidence of the leak.

Clogged gutters also have the potential to worsen the problems caused by ice dams. If you live in an area that experiences snow, the water resulting from snow melt needs a place to go. If the water is not able to drain away from the roof, ice will build up and form ice dams.

Gutters are mounted on your home’s fascia boards. Fascia boards are the horizontal boards running the length of your home beneath your roof. They prevent the rafters from rotting, support the roof structure, and hold up the gutters. Water that spills over clogged gutters will seep into the fascia boards causing the wood to rot and deteriorate.

Gutters that are overflowing with debris and water can become too heavy and can even bend or sag due to all the excess weight. The added weight of water and tree debris will also cause undue strain on the fasteners which attach the gutters to your home, causing them to tear away from the fascia board.

It’s important to note that roof repairs due to leaks and other damages caused by clogged gutters are preventable. Regular home maintenance such as annual roof inspections and periodic gutter cleaning will ensure that you don’t suffer interior leaks due to clogged gutters.

4. Roof Leaks: Chimneys

A red brick clad chimney.

Chimneys are a common source of roof leaks because there are actually several ways that a chimney can leak.

• Flashing: The first type of chimney leak that we’ll discuss involves the metal flashing that goes under the shingles surrounding the chimney. The flashing is the area where the chimney comes through the roof, or where the chimney is close to the roof. The flashing is weathertight and prevents moisture or debris from getting in between the chimney and the roof. Over time, the flashing’s sealant can degrade, creating an entry point for water.

• Mortar Joints: If your chimney is clad in brick, it’s possible that the mortar joints have been saturated by rain. Mortar joints are vulnerable to excessive exposure to the elements. Severe rain that lasts for several days can cause the mortar joints or even the bricks themselves to become soaked through by water. Mortar joints can get damaged and split which allows the water to infiltrate your home’s interior, damaging the walls and ceiling. It’s important to get brick and mortar joints repaired as soon as possible. As with any other roof leaks, if it is allowed to continue it can compromise the structural integrity of your chimney.

• Chimney Crown: It’s also possible for water to enter your home through the top of your chimney if the masonry at the top of the chimney, called the chimney crown, has cracked. Chimney crowns are typically concrete and over time the concrete can become brittle and crack due to excessive moisture and fluctuations in temperature. If you have a metal chimney cap, cover, or damper it may have failed due to age, rust, or loose fasteners. If a form of cover is missing completely from your chimney it has no means of protection from moisture entering your home via your chimney.

• Siding: If your chimney is clad in siding, it is possible for water to get in the corners where the siding butts into the corner boards. The corner boards can rot due to exposure to moisture as well as the wood behind the chimney’s cladding.

Chimney leaks will allow rainwater access to the walls around your fireplace, or even inside the fireplace. There is no way to know the extent of the damage from a chimney leak until you have had a roof inspection.

At Orbit Roofing we are experienced in diagnosing and repairing chimney leaks. Whether installing new flashing, tuckpointing, or going to the extent of rebuilding a chimney, we can help you with all of your chimney repairs.

5. Roof Leaks: Skylights

An interior view of two skylights.

Most skylights are constructed well and are warrantied against leaks. Most often when a skylight leaks it is due to extreme weather, a broken component or piece of the skylight, or improper skylight installation. If you have a roof leak that is caused by a skylight, water will enter your home wherever the skylight is located. The window the skylight is comprised of needs to be precisely fitted to its opening. If the skylight is not properly fitted, you may experience leaks right away after its installation.

Metal flashing is installed to prevent the skylight from developing roof leaks around its edges, but over time flashing may begin to fail, causing leaks. Skylights also have weather seals that provide a weatherproof barrier. The weather seals can degrade over time due to UV exposure, causing roof leaks to occur.

Skylights also need to be insulated because warm air from the home will flow up from inside the house and cause condensation on the glass. Rain may also penetrate poorly insulated skylights, destroying the remaining insulation in the process.

Skylights can be chipped or cracked by hail. Minor damage, such as chipped glass can become worse over time, developing cracks in the glass when further exposed to hail and extreme weather. Unfortunately, when a skylight’s glass is cracked it needs to be replaced completely.

6. Roof Leaks: Gas Vents

A gas vent is a capped metal pipe that comes through the roof. The purpose of a gas vent is to ensure that carbon monoxide from gas appliances vents through the roof. When installed by HVAC professionals, these vents need to be sealed, then the seal covered with a collar. If the gas vent is not sealed properly by the HVAC professional when the gas vent is put in place, rain can splash under the collar causing water to run down the pipe and into the home. A roof leak caused by a gas vent will be in the area near the gas appliance that is connected to the leaking gas vent pipe.

7. Roof Leaks: Storm Damage

A severely hail damaged asphalt shingle roof.

In Texas we experience extreme weather during the spring storm season. Inevitably this leads to roof damage. If your roof is damaged by hail, you have one year following the date of the storm to file an insurance claim to have your roof repaired or replaced.

It’s important to have your roof inspected after a hailstorm because not all storm damage is visible from the ground. You could have damage to your roof that warrants a roof replacement by your homeowners insurance company. At Orbit Roofing, we are experts at identifying storm damage and work with all insurance carriers. To learn more, be sure to read our blog about the insurance claims process.

8. Roof Leaks: Lack of Roof Maintenance

Many roof leaks are ultimately due to regular wear and tear during the life of the roof. Over time UV exposure and other factors can cause roofing components to degrade faster than the shingles themselves. An annual roof inspection from a trusted local roofing company can prevent many of the problems that cause roof leaks.

At Orbit Roofing our roofing professionals can identify possible problem areas on your roof and help you practice preventative maintenance. Identifying potential problem areas or components of the roof that present points for water intrusion before you experience a leak can save you a lot of money!

Roofing Companies Near Me

If you do experience a roof leak, it’s always best to contact a local roofing company to evaluate and repair your roof. Always contact a local roofing company as soon as you notice a leak. Even if the leak seems minor, you have no way of knowing what hidden damage is being done and how costly the repairs will be if it is left unaddressed.

There is no way to know how serious a roof leak is until you’ve had your roof inspected, but not all roof leaks require a roof replacement. Call Orbit Roofing for your roof inspection, roof leak repair, annual roof maintenance, or new roof installation. We’re here for all of your roofing needs!