West Jordan Roofing Contractor 10 reasons why your roof is leaking

1. Worn out seal on your step flashing

Step flashing are thin pieces of metal with a 90 degree angle. They are installed one at a time and are placed on the unexposed portion of the shingle while the other surfaced is placed flush with the vertical surface. It is recommended before installing to widen the it out so that it is more like a 110-120 degree angle rather than 90 then press it to the vertical surface till it fits firm then put 2 fasteners in it make sure that part placed on the roof are installed under shingles and on the joints of your roof in order to create a water-resistant barrier, If installed properly there should be no need for any type of caulking. When installing around a chimney it is recommended to use a counter flashing.
This is common when shingling over an existing roof because the old roof wasn't removed they were unable to install new flashing. Another reason is that when you had the roof replaced last time the roofing contractor cut corners and left your old flashing on instead of replacing it.

2. You Have Broken or Missing Shingles 

This is very obvious and easy to spot after a heavy storm it is recommended that you walk around your home or property and examine the roof. Shingles are made so that the part of the shingle that is supposed to be exposed and the part of the shingle that is supposed to be covered are different shades and colors. Another sign that you have missing or broken off shingles is finding them in your yard or driveway. If you live in an area where heavy winds are common it is recommended that you go with shingles especial engineered to withstand that type of weather. Like CertainTeed's high impact asphalt shingle Solaris not only do the have a high wind rating the also have a good reflective quality that will help keep your roof cooler and therefore help to keep cooling cost down.

3. You Have Ice Dam Buildup

Ice dams form mainly on the eaves as water from the roofs melts and runs down to the eaves it is blocked from from draining. Night falls and the water chills and makes the ice dam even bigger. then the next day more snow melts and runs down it pools behind the ice and starts to work its way under the shingles now the water is traveling up the roof. Shingles are designed to stop water that run downward not upward

The area of the roof that is within the exterior wall of the building gets heated from blow the eves of your home are a lot cooler therefor the freeze and cause ice build-up. In the illustration above you can see how the water can actually get under the shingle and travel up-ward that why it is important to have ice and water shield placed high enough on the roof to stop water from getting inside your home after it gets behind the shingles. In most areas ice and water has to extend minimum of 2 feet inward from the outer wall of the home in very cold areas like cities in mountainous areas having the whole roof covered with ice and water shield is required.

To prevent ice dams heating cable can be installed on your roof. 

4. Your vents need replacing 

A lot of times in order to cut down on expenses the vents are not replaced when the house is re roofed and. If you have metal vents they on your roof you should be able to get away with not replacing but if they are made with plastic just replace them. Another reason why vents will leak is because of improper installation. 

5. Your pipe boots are worn out or need to be re-caulked 

Like the air vents sometimes people don't replace the pipe boots. However if you have the type of pipe boot that has a rubber seal these should always be replaced the other type of boot is an all metal boot these have to be caulked with an asphalt base sealant. Asphalt caulking or sealant generally last about 15 years. The other problem is when the boot is installed wrong. What they have done is installed the roof then placed the pipe flashing down on top of it. The only shingles that should be installed under this flashing is one and a half rows the rest should be installed over then caulked all the base of the flashing to prevent it from running underneath the shingles as an added measure. 

6. Your Skylights Were Improperly Installed

Skylights are a place on the roof where snow will pile up so they have to be properly flashed and counter flashed or they will leak every time. it is also generally not advisable to place skylights near
a valley (another place snow tends to build up).

7. Your Gutters need cleaning or the down spouts are clogged 

When your gutters or downspouts are clogged water can penetrate via your fascia board if you have trees around your property i recommend cleaning or having someone do this for you every fall after the leaves have dropped. If your down spout gets clogged try running a garden hose on the top and if this doesn't work call in a rain gutter specialist. rain gutters are a very important part of protecting your home if they can channel the water away from your home properly it can lead to foundation damage as well damage to your fascia board. 

8. Improperly flashed or cracked chimney 

If you have a cracked chimney crown there is a crown coating materials such as Chimney Saver Crown Coat which cover the masonry and prevent small cracks from becoming a real problem. Below is an illustration of a chimney located at the bottom of a valley. For obvious reasons this is not a good idea
unfortunately sometimes this is how the house was built. In this
circumstance I would either put heating cable or build the roof out more so that the valley comes out on the other side of the chimney however if you build the roof out more it would be a lower pitch so heating cable may still be recommended.

9. Improperly installed or poorly placed valley 

The picture above that I used to demonstrate chimney issues is also a good example of a poorly placed valley. The illustration below shows a similarly poorly paced valley that is clogged as well. 

When installing valleys the main problem is that the rows of shingles start dropping. The reason it happens is because the shingle has to be placed so that the valley line is in the center of the shingle.

So the start by making a rake right up the valley. A better way is to make 3 rows while doing this so that you can see that it is running straight. An even better way is to chalk lines however this takes more time. When the rows start dropping usually what happens is the roofer will try and straighten them out be compensating and running the the rows above a little high eventually getting them back to straight however because this is a valley where water and snow from two roof surfaces meet its not a good practice to make corrections like this. Is better to just remove the shingles and start over but how often do you think a roofer will do this.

10. Improper ventilation

The amount of total attic vent space needed is to have at least one square foot of vent space for every 150 square feet of attic area. Ideally, half the vents should be located in the soffit at the bottom of the roof and half in gable or ridge vents near the top to allow for natural circulation of air through the attic.

Mold and Mildew

A humid environment will inevitably produce mold and mildew.  Mold will speed up the deterioration of the sheathing. Worse still are the health problems caused by mold.

Saggy or Spongy Decking and Deterioration to the Framing. 

Whenever excessive moisture exists your roof deck will start to absorb the moisture this will effect the adhesive used in the decking causing it to sag inward from the heavy shingles above when the moisture drys up it will loosen the grip of the fasteners that hold your roofing system in place. After several cycles of swelling with moisture then drying up and shrinking and soon the decking is seriously damaged. Even worse it starts deteriorating your frame and moist deteriorating wood is like candy to a termite.

Rapid Deterioration to the Roofing System

Your roof is unavoidably being heated by the sun however as long as it sits on a relatively cool surface it won't get to hot tile and metal roofs can withstand a great deal of heat however if you are using asphalt shingles and they are being heated from above and from below at the same time then your shingles are going to break down as well as the under-layment.  Cracking and or curling shingles as well as excessive loss of granules are a good indicator of poor roof ventilation.

Frost

Frost can form inside your attic in the winter. This will cause damage to the decking and framing and when the roof heats up will drip down onto you insulation making it lees effective and breed mold and mildew as well. Not only that if you have a great deal of frost when it melts it will also pool above your ceiling causing ugly patches of discoloration upon it. This can cause a real dilemma because this leaves the impression that you have a roof leak. So you look like crazy to locate it but it won't be found.

Ice Dams

Ice dams can form at the eave of a roof, meanwhile on the upper portion of the roof where there is trapped warm air  trapped warm air inside the attic melting snow that runs down to the eave and freezes. This cycle continues until you have quite the build up of ice on your eaves. This is an ice dam and they can grow to be very large meanwhile as they swell they are doing a great deal of damage to the shingles located just above the eve as well as the rain gutters and soffit. Ice sickles grow quite large and can seriously harm some one or damage property when the break loose. Imagine one of them landing on your vehicle or worse still one of your children. Proper ventilation and insulation will prevent all of this and if you want to go a step further you could additionally install a heating cable to melt the snow on your eves and rain gutters.

When your roof is leaking

Call a professional West Jordan roofing contractor. There is no way to prevent the aging of your roof, however almost every thing on this list is the direct result of improper installations and negligence of the roofing system. So when your current roof approaches the end of its expected life cycle don't wait until the roof is leaking because by the time you see signs of leaking it has already been leaking for some time and who knows how much damage has already occurred. The other thing I want to caution you about is that when you accept a low roofing bid thinking that you are saving money a lot of times you are hiring a roofing company that cuts corners therefore putting your home at risk, your not saving money at all you are getting exactly what you pay for and your home is paying the biggest price.