"John" wrote in message
...
I had a new roof put on in 1998, with a 10 year unconditional warranty.
Water is coming in though a window casing. Apparently snow on the roof is
melting, coming in though the roof, coming down the Cathedral ceiling into
the wall, and then leaking through the window casing.
The roofing company says it is perfectly normal "freeze back" and there is
absolutely nothing wrong with the roof.

I have never heard of "freeze back" before. Is it a roof problem that
needs to be fixed?

Last year I had a leak from improper flashing and it took me a month to
get him to pay for the repairs. He insisted I had no warranty despite
what the contract says; so I am not really inclined to trust him now.

Thanks.


Several issues he

1) The warranty covers THE ROOF, particularly the shingles, although if the
tarpaper was defective, you'd probably have some recourse there, too. The
installer probably also has his own warranty on the work itself.

2) "Freeze back" - never heard of it, but around here, we say "ice damming".
Someone will probably chime in and say there's a difference, and there
probably is. But, it doesn't matter. The general condition is part of an
evil cycle of melting and re-freezing water, which will make your life
miserable. Be glad you don't have chunks of plaster turning to mush and
falling off, as my ex-wife does. Some years, nothing happens. Other years,
it's awful.

3) Although it's not technically the installer's responsibility to use his
brain and help you improve your insulation & ventilation, it would've been
good if yours did. Mine did, and conditions in the house improved
considerably, especially in one outside corner where lots of heat was
escaping to the roofline, melting the snow, and there wasn't enough sun in
the winter to keep that melted snow draining into the gutter. Instead, it
froze into huge waves at the edges, crept back under the shingles, and made
its way into the wall.

Find a mechanical engineer to inspect the situation, and get some
suggestions. Usually, what's necessary is better venting in certain areas,
and a lot more pink or blown-in insulation in the attic, so the heat rising
from the rooms doesn't melt the snow on the roof. Sometimes, soffit vents
will do the trick, but other times, you have to put more venting in the
roof. You'll want a roofer to do that, unless you're comfortable chopping
holes in your roof.

I think the main thing you can blame your roofer for is being young,
inexperienced, dumb, or a combination of all three.