# Roof Leak



## yadic (6 d ago)

I have a bathroom fan that vents through the ceiling then to the roof. It drips water when ever it rains. I was convinced it was leaking into the vent penetration on the roof. I even confirmed it when I tore out the penetration, replaced it and re-roofed around it. It didn't drip for the rest of the year so I figured I had fixed it.

This spring it rained, a lot! It leaked, a lot! I had other pressing things to deal with so when we knew rain was coming we just set a bucket under the fan to catch the drips. My schedule finally loosened up a little and I got ready for battle, again. Then I got thinking and dragged the garden hose onto the roof and sprayed water just below the vent penetration. In a half hour later is dripping out of the fan! I climbed up into the attic, what fun, plus my 63 year old bones don't bend like they used to to climb through the hatch in the kitchen pantry closet. Also a screwed up left shoulder doesn't help either when I have to lift myself off the top of the ladder, scrunch my legs up and try hook my feet on a inch wide ledge in the hatch opening. Then climb over the insulation box around the hatch opening. I figure mama would have to call 911 to get me out of there!

Well, I get up there and with a good flashlight and see water dripping from the underside of the roof, a couple feet below the vent penetration. Well, damn, why didn't I see that last summer when I went up there while it was raining? It turns out the vent penetration was a bit farther up the roof, and the roof leak was right over the fan.

I went back on the roof and looked around. Nothing obvious, shingles are 20 years old, but in good condition. I started lifting the edge of the shingles in the area and find one roofing nail that was driven in a bit low, the edge of the shingle above it just covered it. I poked the nail with my finger and it moved. I was able to get a finger nail under it and lifted it right out. Well hurrah! I found it! Grabbed a tube of roofing tar and sealed it up.

The next day, after the tar set up a bit I ran water on the roof again, and found one more nail a foot or so over. Same deal, loose, pulled it out with my finger. More tar, gave it a day and ran the hose on the roof again and dry as a bone in the attic. I am pretty sure the nails hit the space between to boards. The roof is sheeted with 1x6 pine boards.

Pretty sure I got it, and I will not admit how many years we have been dealing with it!


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

I heard it said there are two kinds of roofs in Mexico, those that leak and those that will leak.

If you have to get up in the attic again, if you are there when it's leaking, you can pound any of the leaking nails up from below to make it easier to find them when you're on the roof.

Not that I've ever done anything like that. It just occurs to me.


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## yadic (6 d ago)

eastwind said:


> I heard it said there are two kinds of roofs in Mexico, those that leak and those that will leak.
> 
> If you have to get up in the attic again, if you are there when it's leaking, you can pound any of the leaking nails up from below to make it easier to find them when you're on the roof.
> 
> ...


thank you so much for your suggestion and response.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

yep that is the jole I heard many times.. there are only 2 types of roofs in Mexico, the ones that leaks and the ones that will leak.


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