Some leaking around chimney in attic (not in house [yet])
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 11:03 am
I found some leaking of the roof (flashing) in the attic by the chimney.
I have heard that flashing needs to be inspected (and maintained?) on a regular basis.
It isn't enough to do any damage the inside of the house (not yet at least).
During the inspection 9 months ago, we noticed some slight stains in the kitchen ceiling (it has since been repainted during the upgrades and renovations that I had done).
I asked the inspector if it was an issue. He checked with a moisture meter (measuring device) and noted NO sign of moisture, even though it was (and had been) raining steadily outside during the inspection.
In other words it had PREVIOUSLY been leaking, but had been fixed.
He did note, however, that the chimney flashing should be re-tarred
in a specific spot.
Unfortunately, it looks like the previous owner, while he did complete the task after the inspection, didn't do a thorough enough job.
Anyway, here we are 9 months later; I happened to be in the attic to ensure that my roof raking hadn't done any damage to the shingles (read that the shingles' coating is a protectant against weather [and makes it last longer?]).
I don't think I damaged the coating, since the rake is plastic (poly) and NOT aluminum.
This past Monday, during heavy rain, I did notice one small portion of roof (as seen from within the attic) where the wood boarding (i.e. the roof wood that is located [directly] under the shingle) was damp.
I hope this has nothing to do with the following raking process:
When I was raking the snow after the blizzard, which had
fallen a week earlier, the temperatures were bitter cold and the snow had hardened. It took a fair amount of effort / tugging to get the HARDENED snow to separate.
I hope this tugging didn't shift any tiling a half inch or so leading to that single one foot section that was damp.
Any thoughts on weather the tugging action could have done anything?
I tugged the snow several inches above the roof to separate it in layers.
HOWEVER, maybe it is a good thing that I did the raking and went to check the attic, because otherwise I might not have noticed this chimney leak till the damage was visible from inside the house - I don't check the attic, especially the chimney, that often...
I have two roofing contractors coming for estimates (wanted a second estimate to be safe, since there may be a big difference between the two).
I want to nip this in the bud, since the house has been repainted and I also don't want it to get worse - right now it is not a ton of water and is also limited to the attic and/or invisible (covered) chimney-related areas inside house where chimney runs.
I have heard that flashing needs to be inspected (and maintained?) on a regular basis.
It isn't enough to do any damage the inside of the house (not yet at least).
During the inspection 9 months ago, we noticed some slight stains in the kitchen ceiling (it has since been repainted during the upgrades and renovations that I had done).
I asked the inspector if it was an issue. He checked with a moisture meter (measuring device) and noted NO sign of moisture, even though it was (and had been) raining steadily outside during the inspection.
In other words it had PREVIOUSLY been leaking, but had been fixed.
He did note, however, that the chimney flashing should be re-tarred
in a specific spot.
Unfortunately, it looks like the previous owner, while he did complete the task after the inspection, didn't do a thorough enough job.
Anyway, here we are 9 months later; I happened to be in the attic to ensure that my roof raking hadn't done any damage to the shingles (read that the shingles' coating is a protectant against weather [and makes it last longer?]).
I don't think I damaged the coating, since the rake is plastic (poly) and NOT aluminum.
This past Monday, during heavy rain, I did notice one small portion of roof (as seen from within the attic) where the wood boarding (i.e. the roof wood that is located [directly] under the shingle) was damp.
I hope this has nothing to do with the following raking process:
When I was raking the snow after the blizzard, which had
fallen a week earlier, the temperatures were bitter cold and the snow had hardened. It took a fair amount of effort / tugging to get the HARDENED snow to separate.
I hope this tugging didn't shift any tiling a half inch or so leading to that single one foot section that was damp.
Any thoughts on weather the tugging action could have done anything?
I tugged the snow several inches above the roof to separate it in layers.
HOWEVER, maybe it is a good thing that I did the raking and went to check the attic, because otherwise I might not have noticed this chimney leak till the damage was visible from inside the house - I don't check the attic, especially the chimney, that often...
I have two roofing contractors coming for estimates (wanted a second estimate to be safe, since there may be a big difference between the two).
I want to nip this in the bud, since the house has been repainted and I also don't want it to get worse - right now it is not a ton of water and is also limited to the attic and/or invisible (covered) chimney-related areas inside house where chimney runs.