Fixing A Leaking Roof In Winter

Locate the leaking source and search for the damaged or missing shingles and make a list of the areas to be repaired.

Fixing a leaking roof in winter.

The shingles can be warmed up with a propane torch. Now is a time when you can start planning if you know where to start. Special materials for winter roof repair if you plan to replace shingles in the winter it can be done but you have to add something to bond the shingles together. The ice builds back up when it reaches the wall line where the house is heated and it creates an interior drip.

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. If a leak is difficult to find enlist a helper and go up on the roof with a garden hose. Identify the potential source of the leak. Patch the nail or screw holes by slipping a piece of roof flashing underneath the shingle.

In the wintertime ice has no problem building up under the roof membrane shingles and gutters. Perhaps placing tube on furnace duct so air heats pre cut tube inside of home then climb up ladder and seal area keeping the sealant warm and easily caulk able. Scrape away old sealant wipe away debris and dry the area thoroughly before applying a new compound. You can t fix a leaky roof from the inside so don t even try.

Sealing the shingle to the object can be accomlished with a roofing sealant available at menards lowes etc. Shirlock homes jan 18 11 at 11 06. Start low soaking the area just above where the leak appears in the house. Make use of the flame carefully on the curled shingle edges.

Apply roof sealant or cement to gaps less than 1 4 in 0 64 cm wide. Isolate areas when you run the hose. Proper ventilation rain and ice shields along with installing a drip edge will help prevent this problem. Use a thin flexible putty knife to apply roof cement to small cracks in the sealant around chimneys pipes or other joined surfaces.

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. Install the top of the ice and water shield under the tabs of shingles above the leak and nail it down with 2 inch roofing nails around the edges. This will stay in place a lot better than a tarp and water will not leak around the new nails. Small nail holes left behind from old vents satellite dish brackets or anything previously attached to the roof can allow water to enter and cause damage for years before leaking is noticed.

The secret to caulking in winter time is to heat the sealant in the tube.