How To Fix A Leaky Roof In Winter

Make use of the flame carefully on the curled shingle edges.

How to fix a leaky roof in winter.

Isolate areas when you run the hose. 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. The shingles can be warmed up with a propane torch. 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.

Identify the potential source of the leak. You can t fix a leaky roof from the inside so don t even try. Sandwich the tarp by nailing a second 2 x 4 board to the first. While temperature is below freezing at 7 degrees and ot.

Start low soaking the area just above where the leak appears in the house. The purpose is to keep the shingle tabs down in high winds. Now is a time when you can start planning if you know where to start. For example soak the downhill side of a chimney first then each side then the top on both sides.

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. Recaulk the corner flashing if any areas have hardened caulk. Replace any missing or rotted siding above the step flashing on dormers. How to repair a leaky roof from inside the house.

Dig out any cracked or dry caulking that isn t properly sealing adjoining surfaces and replace with silicone caulk. If a leak is difficult to find enlist a helper and go up on the roof with a garden hose. The roof shingles should be softened and flattened as the shingles tend to curl up in winter. Fix this board to your roof using a screw as a temporary anchor.

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. 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. This step ensures the tarp stays taut and fully protective. Locate the source of the leak by examining the underside of the roof from within your attic or crawl space.