Lyons Roofing

Roof Replacement and Repair Contractor Louisville, KY and Indiana

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Louisville: (502) 689-0338
Indiana: (812) 294-3595

Start by looking up when it comes to a roof leak.

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I know common sense right. What do we mean by “look up” to find a roof leak? The first step after you find a water stain in your home is to take a walk outside. Make sure in your mind you pinpoint where the leak is inside the home in relation to outside. Look up your roofline; do you see any penetrations, pipes, vents etc.? If not, are there any valleys or walls in that immediate area?

roof leak

 

Take your search for a roof leak a step higher

If you do not see anything from the ground take it a step higher! Literally, climb up in the attic and look around. Find the leak in the attic, looking for any signs of water damage on the roof deck or even wet insulation. Follow the trail up the roof deck and see where it comes from. Is there a penetration or does it run into a valley or wall area?

Give it a shot of water

If neither of those options work for you, try using a helper with a water hose. Spray the areas that you think may be causing the problem, do not spray water directly into any penetrations through the roof! Run water around your pipes or vents, down the shingle line of a wall or straight down the valley. In the case of a brick wall along your roofline if the shingles or flashing does not cause a roof leak in the home, spray the brick. It is a possibility that the brick has become porous over the years and is absorbing the water, causing a leak.

If none of these attempts works, call a local roofing contractor. They have the experience and the know how to find and repair roof leaks quickly and permanently to protect your greatest investment.

Chimney Leak

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Rain pouring into your living room or den can be an unwanted experience? So what if you have a fireplace in your living area and you get the unsightly brown spots or water dripping on the floor or running down after every rain.

 

chimney leak

 

Chimneys


Chimneys and fireplaces are beautiful and relaxing. If you are fortunate enough to have one in your living room then you can relax with a good book and listen to the crackle of a warm fire on a cold winter night. Or even better, maybe you have one in your bedroom and can set the mood with your spouse and a nice glass of wine!

chimney-flashing

The provide dimension to the outside of your home and give the classic America feel to most homes. But, if flashing is installed improperly or sealant begins to break down you can find yourself using the wine glasses to catch water and that romantic mood can quickly turn into a nightmare!

 

Problems with chimneys

 

What can cause these leaks? First, your flashing could be the biggest problem. So what if you have a brick fireplace, then check the sealant along your counter flashing. If it is broken or cracked, that is more than likely your problem. If you have siding on your home, check the corners of the chimney and flashing, the flashing wraps around the corner and any sealant can break down over time.

 

chimney brick

Some lesser known problems can include sealing of your brick. Over time your brick can become porous and create a sponge effect when it rains. Regardless of how good your chimneys flashing job is, it could still leak!

 

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If your chimney is any more than four foot wide you more than likely need to have a saddle installed to divert the water around each side of the chimney instead of directly in the back.

 

Check with your local professional roofing contractor and have an inspection done if you think you have any problems. It is better to make sure al of these problems are addressed during replacement but can be easily addressed if needed after your roof has been replaced.

DIY Roof Leaks

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The goal of Lyons Roofing is to be your first line of defense when it comes to the elements and to protect your greatest asset from roof leaks. Water, in whatever form, (rain, snow, sleet, or hail), has a way of finding any weak spots in a roofing system.

damaged plywood in attic

 

Lyons Roofing has two goals, one to install a system that will stand up to the wear and tear that the weather brings year after year. To assist when roof leaks occur and to make you the happiest person under your own roof.

 

While so many roofs leaks can be simple to repair, determining the source of the leak is often the hardest part. When customers notice a drip on their ceiling, they often assume that the leak is coming from right above spot on the ceiling. However, a leak can travel down a rafter or can even be condensation from another system in your home.

 

Roof leaks can be caused by anything.

  • Missing, cracked or loose shingles, tiles or seams
  • Ponding water
  • Wind driven rain
  • “Tips” in Valleys
  • Improper installation of valleys, flashing, shingles, collars, etc.
  • Damaged or deteriorated flashing, seals and caulking
  • Exposed nail heads
  • Built up debris, which can trap moisture and accelerate deterioration
  • (My personal Favorite) Brick and mortar

 

Now the fun part memorize, you get to try to remember all of those potential hot spots for leaks! Just to make it a little bit easier, I will give you a short description of the cause of each, what to look for.

 

Missing, cracked or loose shingles, tiles or seams

This for the most part is self-explanatory. You will more than likely notice any missing shingles from the ground. To look for any cracks, you will have to spend a little time investigating on the roof. As always, if you do not feel comfortable, or you cannot do it safely. Do not climb on your roof. Cracks can be big problems in certain areas, if you find any in a valley (where two pitch changes come together) call a contractor and have it addressed immediately. It could be a minor crack or something more substantial that could be a major threat to your home.

cracked-shingle

 

 Ponding water

Ponding water is a big issue on flat roof systems. Your water should have areas to drain from the structure. If not this could cause problems with added weight to the structure and if water sits long enough it will more than likely find a way in.

ponding water

Wind driven rain

For the most part this will be a “freak thing” Maybe a storm comes in a certain way, or the wind just happens to blow rain in a vent. There is nothing in particular to look for. The only way to tell if this is an issue or not is if it is a small leak and does not re-occur.

“Tips” in Valleys

Being one of the most common issues a roofing company will see, it is the easiest to diagnose. If you are willing and able to climb on your roof, look at your valley, is the top layer cut and sitting on top of another layer that runs under? If so lift up the top section slightly, if you see any points on the upper layer of shingles running in line with the cut, those need to be trimmed back. You could try this yourself, but it is always best to have a professional do any work, that way you are not on the hook for any damage.

Improper installation of valleys, flashing, shingles, collars, etc.

This will be up to a professional contractor to decide. No offense, but unless you do it every day. You will not know if it is right or wrong. Granted, if something is obvious, your vents are upside down and backwards, and then yes, you will be able to diagnose this problem.

This is something you will have to look closely for, if you have exposed counter flashing look for any breaks in the sealant. On your pipe collars, look for any signs of dry rooting. This is normally only a problem after 7-8 years, in some cases never a problem.

 

Exposed nail heads

Look around your roof, any vents or flashings or even on the shingles. If you see any nails that are not covered by silicone, then a small dab to cover the nail is a good temporary fix. A final fix is removing the nail and sealing under the shingle it penetrated or replacing the shingle as a whole.

 

nail heads

Built up debris,

Look around your valleys, look along walls or behind any chimneys. Any debris left in these area can present a huge problem. A dam if you will hold water and allowing it to become your nightmare.

 

roof-leaks

(My personal Favorite) Brick and mortar

Something you would never realize could be a problem, but we at Lyons Roofing see it all the time. Chimneys are beautiful but can require a good amount of maintenance. If yours happens to be brick, look at the mortar, are there chunks missing? If not does it have the appearance of a sponge? If any of these are true you would need to get the mortar tuck pointed or the brick sealed.

damaged-mortar-crumbling-chimney-and-bricks

If none of these are issues, or you don’t feel safe climbing around on your roof. Contact Lyons Roofing for a free estimate. We are here to help you protect your greatest investment, your home.