Fixing A Roof Valley Leak

Roof valleys are channels designed to drain runoff water and like any other part of your roof they can degrade over time with exposure to the elements.

Fixing a roof valley leak.

By gary hedstrom peg hedstrom judy ondrla tremore. And the valleys are leaking real bad and i wondered if there s some way to repair that without having to tear the whole roof off again. Although professional roofers take great care to properly install roof valleys they can be susceptible to roof leaks. Roof valleys are prone to leaking and are a well known weak spot on older roofs.

Roof valleys are created wherever two roof surfaces intersect to form a shallow v shape. If leaks continue to occur from ice dams consider installing roof edge heating cables. The sealants and roof pitch used can crack and chip away over time. Repairing a metal roof seam with turbo poly seal is simple and it is a do it yourself p.

Sometimes an older home s roof is more prone to leaking in the roof valleys because of old repairs. Though roof valleys are com mon leak sites on shingle roofs it s typically fairly easy to fix these problems with a little know how. In other cases water can become trapped under shingles which have been overlaid to create the valley trough. So the valleys which is where the two planes of the roof come together in the v like shape for those that have no clue as to what we re talking about these.

In order to lay the flashing the shingles on the roof will have to be removed. Find them locally at hardware stores or home centers improved attic insulation and ventilation are usually the best ways to prevent ice dams. Step 2 remove the shingles. If your roof valley leak is an old repair gone bad consider having a professional repair the leak properly.

If you re not sure what a roof valley looks like check out the photos on this page. The valley flashing laid over the joint where the two roofs meet should overlap the step flashing at least 2 in. Roof valleys carry a lot of water. Once the roof valley has begun to leak you will need to cover the valley with flashing in order to prevent a repeat of the problem.

Finding the actual spot where the roof leaks is difficult because water can enter the roof in one place and run down to another before it starts soaking into the ceiling.