How To Fix A Leaky Roof In Winter

This step ensures the tarp stays taut and fully protective.

How to fix a leaky roof in winter.

Locate the source of the leak by examining the underside of the roof from within your attic or crawl space. Fix this board to your roof using a screw as a temporary anchor. Your best solution may be to just tarp off the problem area until the spring but be sure not to block off any venting pipes that vent out dangerous gasses. Start low soaking the area just above where the leak appears in the house.

For example soak the downhill side of a chimney first then each side then the top on both sides. The purpose is to keep the shingle tabs down in high winds. You nail shingles to the roof of course but each shingle has a tar strip on it that causes it to stick to the shingle that overlaps it. Identify the potential source of the leak.

Make use of the flame carefully on the curled shingle edges. Replace any missing or rotted siding above the step flashing on dormers. This will freeze the leaking water in place but you ll still need to deal with the ice dam or it will melt and start leaking again. Dig out any cracked or dry caulking that isn t properly sealing adjoining surfaces and replace with silicone caulk.

Sandwich the tarp by nailing a second 2 x 4 board to the first. If a leak is difficult to find enlist a helper and go up on the roof with a garden hose. The shingles can be warmed up with a propane torch. Locate the leaking source and search for the damaged or missing shingles and make a list of the areas to be repaired.

How to repair a leaky roof from inside the house. Shine a flashlight along the underside of the roof and look for a hole in the roof as well as areas that are wet or have been. While temperature is below freezing at 7 degrees and ot. To stop the leak use a long handled roof rake to remove snow from your roof or blow cold air onto the area of the roof that is leaking in your attic using a box fan.

Now is a time when you can start planning if you know where to start. Isolate areas when you run the hose. You can t fix a leaky roof from the inside so don t even try. If you plan to replace shingles in the winter it can be done but you have to add something to bond the shingles together.