Roof Leaking Through Fixtures

Damage

• Ignoring a wet spot on your ceiling can lead to serious damage. Not only will the moisture eventually ruin the ceiling’s drywall beyond repair, but it can also ruin the insulation in your attic and the wood rafters, requiring you to replace both. The presence of water in your attic may also lead to mold growth, which further decays wood and other surfaces, and can also threaten the health of anyone living in the house.

Finding the Leak

• Even though the leaking water is collecting on a certain portion of the ceiling inside your house, the leak may not necessarily be directly above the water-damaged ceiling. If you suspect the area around a roof fixture is the origin of the leak, inspect the shingles around the fixture. Peel back the shingles and even pop out the nails that hold them down using a small pry bar, looking for water damage underneath. If you still are not sure about the location of the leak, climb into your attic and look for water damage, warped wood, mold or other clues of where the water has been flowing.

Fixture Flashings

• Some fixtures, such as plumbing vent pipes, have metal flashings around their base to seal out any water. Inspect the flashing itself for signs of corrosion or damage, and look over the seal between the flashing and the fixture. The flashing should be tucked under any shingles that are higher than the fixture on the roof and over the other shingles. Replace the flashing if you find it is damaged, or anchor it down properly if it is loose or not positioned correctly. Vent hoods have an integrated lip instead of a metal flashing piece, which slides under the shingles and has holes for you to drive screws into the roof. If the lip on the vent hood cracks, replace the entire hood assembly.

Professional Help

• When the problem reaches a certain level, consider calling a professional roofer to assess the damage and make repairs. If you fixed the leak around a fixture, only to realize the roof has even more leaks, you need professional help. If you repaired a leak around a fixture, but the roof begins leaking around the fixture again, you need a professional roofer to determine what repairs around the fixture your roof needs.