A friend asked me to repair a roof leak.

During rain, he gets water leaking around a light fixture.

I thought about drilling a small hole from around the fixture thru the roof and shingles in order to narrow down the location.

I could then re-shingle that area.

What do you think ?

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks,
Andy

On Wed, 7 Jan 2015 23:16:27 -0800 (PST), Andy
wrote:

A friend asked me to repair a roof leak.

During rain, he gets water leaking around a light fixture.

I thought about drilling a small hole from around the fixture thru the roof and shingles in order to narrow down the location.

I could then re-shingle that area.

What do you think ?

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks,
Andy


HUH???????

Isn't there an attic above the fixture? You might need an 8 foot long
drill bit!

DO NOT DO THAT. Leaks are usually not near where the water enters.
It's just that the fixture is an easy place for the water to drip in.

Go in the attic above it and look for a leak or wet insulation and
stains on the wood. If there is no attic,

Measure the distance from the wall, and from the end of the house. Go
on the roof, measure the same distances, mark the roof with chalk. (If
there's an overhang on the roof, add that amount.

Now you should be right over the fixture. Start looking for holes,
popped nails, and cracks in the shingles. Repair as needed with roof
cement, and pound down loose nails. Replace bad shingles, etc.

Leaks are usually AT or UPHILL from the place they drip. (But not
always).

On Wed, 7 Jan 2015 23:16:27 -0800 (PST), Andy
wrote:

A friend asked me to repair a roof leak.

During rain, he gets water leaking around a light fixture.

Is this a flat roof?

Is it a pitched roof? Is the light fixture in a finished attic, or on
the ceiling below the attic? If the latter, have you been up in the
attic?

I thought about drilling a small hole from around the fixture thru the roof and shingles in order to narrow down the location.

I think drilling a hole will make another hole.

I could then re-shingle that area.

What do you think ?

Appreciate any feedback.

And leaks very often do not come from just above where they show up.
Water travels partially sideways for a variety of reasons.

Now I've only found one roof leak, when it was obvious, but I think you
should look on the roof and look for something not right.

The leak I found was around the round metal chimney. There was supposed
to be a 2" collar that was missing, and the black roof caulk had dried
up in the sun, or it wasnt' put on well. Well, I could tell it had
failed a while earlier (and the house was only 4 years old) because the
previous owner had tried to caulk from the inside, which usually doesn't
work. (Well, I bought the house in May and it started dripping in
November iirc, and it rained a lot in between so maybe it did work for a
while, but I think it's more likely it had been dripping where I didn't
see it.)

Despite leaking around the chimney, it dripped in my bedroom, below the
attic, about 4 feet from the chimney. I never bothered to figure out
how it traveled the 4 feet. I just recaulked around the chimney,, and
later I got a new collar.

But that's only one possible source of a leak.

Thanks,
Andy

On Thursday, January 8, 2015 3:09:18 AM UTC-5, micky wrote:
On Wed, 7 Jan 2015 23:16:27 -0800 (PST), Andy
wrote:

A friend asked me to repair a roof leak.

During rain, he gets water leaking around a light fixture.

Is this a flat roof?

Is it a pitched roof? Is the light fixture in a finished attic, or on
the ceiling below the attic? If the latter, have you been up in the
attic?

I thought about drilling a small hole from around the fixture thru the roof and shingles in order to narrow down the location.

I think drilling a hole will make another hole.

I could then re-shingle that area.

What do you think ?

Appreciate any feedback.

And leaks very often do not come from just above where they show up.
Water travels partially sideways for a variety of reasons.

Now I've only found one roof leak, when it was obvious, but I think you
should look on the roof and look for something not right.

The leak I found was around the round metal chimney. There was supposed
to be a 2" collar that was missing, and the black roof caulk had dried
up in the sun, or it wasnt' put on well. Well, I could tell it had
failed a while earlier (and the house was only 4 years old) because the
previous owner had tried to caulk from the inside, which usually doesn't
work. (Well, I bought the house in May and it started dripping in
November iirc, and it rained a lot in between so maybe it did work for a
while, but I think it's more likely it had been dripping where I didn't
see it.)

Despite leaking around the chimney, it dripped in my bedroom, below the
attic, about 4 feet from the chimney. I never bothered to figure out
how it traveled the 4 feet. I just recaulked around the chimney,, and
later I got a new collar.

But that's only one possible source of a leak.



Agree with all that. Not nearly enough info from the OP. For sure,
drilling a hole in the roof is a bad idea. He can identify the target
area on the roof by doing some measuring, if necessary and then look
for defects on the roof. That's where I'd start.

"Andy" wrote in message
...
A friend asked me to repair a roof leak.

During rain, he gets water leaking around a light fixture.

I thought about drilling a small hole from around the fixture thru the
roof and shingles in order to narrow down the location.

I could then re-shingle that area.

What do you think ?

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks,
Andy


When I turn on my bathroom faucet, it leaks.

On Thursday, January 8, 2015 7:46:51 AM UTC-6, Col. Edmund Burke wrote:
"Andy" wrote in message
...
A friend asked me to repair a roof leak.

During rain, he gets water leaking around a light fixture.

I thought about drilling a small hole from around the fixture thru the
roof and shingles in order to narrow down the location.

I could then re-shingle that area.

What do you think ?

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks,
Andy


When I turn on my bathroom faucet, it leaks.

Then get it fixed. :-)

Andy wrote:
A friend asked me to repair a roof leak.

During rain, he gets water leaking around a light fixture.

I thought about drilling a small hole from around the fixture thru the roof and shingles in order to narrow down the location.

I could then re-shingle that area.

What do you think ?

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks,
Andy

Hi,
Sounds like flat roof? Water does not travel straight.
It is hard to find where the origin of leak is always.
If you do that, you may create more problem without fixing
original leak.

On Thursday, January 8, 2015 at 10:55:36 AM UTC-6, Tony Hwang wrote:
Andy wrote:
A friend asked me to repair a roof leak.

During rain, he gets water leaking around a light fixture.

I thought about drilling a small hole from around the fixture thru the roof and shingles in order to narrow down the location.

I could then re-shingle that area.

What do you think ?

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks,
Andy

Hi,
Sounds like flat roof? Water does not travel straight.
It is hard to find where the origin of leak is always.
If you do that, you may create more problem without fixing
original leak.

There is no attic in the general area of the leak(s).

Just solid wood planks.

It's a hardware store that was originally a home, and was also a restaurant at one time.

It is in sore need of a shingle job. :-)

I see no way of finding the leak(s) other than pulling up shingles.

Any ideas ?

About a year ago, I replaced a 4 ft. X 20 ft. area of wood and shingles on a bottom edge on one side.

It has a large chimney.

I went into the attic but could not find any evidence of wet wood etc.

The owner is not willing to spend money to do the job right. :-(

He has five buckets to catch the water. :-)

I am surprised that none of the lights have shorted out.

Andy

On Thursday, January 8, 2015 1:30:40 PM UTC-5, Andy wrote:
On Thursday, January 8, 2015 at 10:55:36 AM UTC-6, Tony Hwang wrote:
Andy wrote:
A friend asked me to repair a roof leak.

During rain, he gets water leaking around a light fixture.

I thought about drilling a small hole from around the fixture thru the roof and shingles in order to narrow down the location.

I could then re-shingle that area.

What do you think ?

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks,
Andy

Hi,
Sounds like flat roof? Water does not travel straight.
It is hard to find where the origin of leak is always.
If you do that, you may create more problem without fixing
original leak.

There is no attic in the general area of the leak(s).

Just solid wood planks.


Whatever that means. Pitched roof? Flat roof?



It's a hardware store that was originally a home, and was also a restaurant at one time.

It is in sore need of a shingle job. :-)

I see no way of finding the leak(s) other than pulling up shingles.

Any ideas ?

Inspect the roof for defects in the area of the leak.



About a year ago, I replaced a 4 ft. X 20 ft. area of wood and shingles on a bottom edge on one side.

It has a large chimney.


More confusion. Whether it has a large chimney or a small chimney
isn't relevant. If the leak is near the chimney, that would be relevant.



I went into the attic but could not find any evidence of wet wood etc.


I thought it didn't have an attic?



The owner is not willing to spend money to do the job right. :-(


What does doing the job right consist of? I'm guessing the roof
is past the end of life and needs replacement.




He has five buckets to catch the water. :-)

For a leak around one light? Must be a good one.



I am surprised that none of the lights have shorted out.

Andy

Andy wrote:
....
There is no attic in the general area of the leak(s).

Just solid wood planks.

is it flat or sloped?


It's a hardware store that was originally a home, and was also a restaurant at one time.

It is in sore need of a shingle job. :-)

uhoh, do not go up there without putting down some
protective layer over the shingles first. often
just walking on old roofs will make matters much
worse.

do not put shingles on a flat roof (so it must
be sloped).


I see no way of finding the leak(s) other than pulling up shingles.

Any ideas ?

next time it leaks turn off the power and pull the
light out and see where the water is coming in from
and then trace it back.


About a year ago, I replaced a 4 ft. X 20 ft. area of wood and shingles on a bottom edge on one side.

It has a large chimney.

I went into the attic but could not find any evidence of wet wood etc.

The owner is not willing to spend money to do the job right. :-(

they'll spend more in paying for repairs and
damage that those repairs will end up causing
more leaks.


He has five buckets to catch the water. :-)

I am surprised that none of the lights have shorted out.

sounds like a place i'd avoid hanging out in or
doing work for. you want to be the electrocuted
person poster child for Jan 2015?


songbird

On Thu, 8 Jan 2015 10:30:36 -0800 (PST), Andy
wrote:

There is no attic in the general area of the leak(s).

Just solid wood planks.

It's a hardware store that was originally a home, and was also a restaurant at one time.

It is in sore need of a shingle job. :-)

Sounds like you already know the solution!

I see no way of finding the leak(s) other than pulling up shingles.

Any ideas ?

About a year ago, I replaced a 4 ft. X 20 ft. area of wood and shingles on a bottom edge on one side.

Keep replacing shingles.....

It has a large chimney.

I went into the attic but could not find any evidence of wet wood etc.

The owner is not willing to spend money to do the job right. :-(

I sounds like you're paying rent to a slum lnadlord. Refuse to pay
rent, use the money for roofing.... Or just move!
Legally, landlords dont have to pay for cosmetic repairs, but when it's
a safety issue, there are laws which force them to do repairs like this.
Not to mention that neglecting a roof will cause permanent severe damage
to a building real quickly.

He has five buckets to catch the water. :-)

I am surprised that none of the lights have shorted out.

Andy

On 1/8/2015 2:16 AM, Andy wrote:
A friend asked me to repair a roof leak.

During rain, he gets water leaking around a light fixture.

I thought about drilling a small hole from around the fixture thru the roof and shingles in order to narrow down the location.

I could then re-shingle that area.

What do you think ?

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks,
Andy


I was once faced with precisely the same situation. Our friend was
disabled and could not get to attic to look for leak and, knowing my
husband was a handy guy, asked him to take a look. Hubby and I went up
to see; fortunately, it was raining at the time and we could see where
the leak originated and where water ran down the rafter and found a low
spot at the ceiling light fixture in a bedroom. Our good fortune was
another friend, a very charitable one, who worked for the roofer who did
our condo roof. We asked the roofer to take a look and, if it was a job
he could handle, to quote a lower price to the owner and we would pay
for it. Roofer did the repair, no charge.

It might be a good idea to drill a couple of holes, just to allow the
water to drain. Be aware that if the ceiling is saturated it might
fall. I would also turn off the breaker to avoid shorts.

What's the weather there? Good idea to have a roofer take a look and
get estimates.

"Andy" wrote in message
...
On Thursday, January 8, 2015 7:46:51 AM UTC-6, Col. Edmund Burke wrote:
"Andy" wrote in message
...
A friend asked me to repair a roof leak.

During rain, he gets water leaking around a light fixture.

I thought about drilling a small hole from around the fixture thru the
roof and shingles in order to narrow down the location.

I could then re-shingle that area.

What do you think ?

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks,
Andy


When I turn on my bathroom faucet, it leaks.

Then get it fixed. :-)


Right. But when I turn it off it stops leaking. Go figure.

In ,
trader_4 typed:
On Thursday, January 8, 2015 1:30:40 PM UTC-5, Andy wrote:
On Thursday, January 8, 2015 at 10:55:36 AM UTC-6, Tony Hwang wrote:
Andy wrote:
A friend asked me to repair a roof leak.

During rain, he gets water leaking around a light fixture.

I thought about drilling a small hole from around the fixture thru
the roof and shingles in order to narrow down the location.

I could then re-shingle that area.

What do you think ?

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks,
Andy

Hi,
Sounds like flat roof? Water does not travel straight.
It is hard to find where the origin of leak is always.
If you do that, you may create more problem without fixing
original leak.

There is no attic in the general area of the leak(s).

Just solid wood planks.

Whatever that means. Pitched roof? Flat roof?

It's a hardware store that was originally a home, and was also a
restaurant at one time.

It is in sore need of a shingle job. :-)

I see no way of finding the leak(s) other than pulling up shingles.

Any ideas ?

Inspect the roof for defects in the area of the leak.

About a year ago, I replaced a 4 ft. X 20 ft. area of wood and
shingles on a bottom edge on one side.

It has a large chimney.


More confusion. Whether it has a large chimney or a small chimney
isn't relevant. If the leak is near the chimney, that would be
relevant.

I went into the attic but could not find any evidence of wet wood
etc.


I thought it didn't have an attic?

The owner is not willing to spend money to do the job right. :-(

What does doing the job right consist of? I'm guessing the roof
is past the end of life and needs replacement.

He has five buckets to catch the water. :-)

For a leak around one light? Must be a good one.

I am surprised that none of the lights have shorted out.

Andy

trader_4,

I agree with all of your comments above.

Andy (OP),

You seem to be very vague in describing what you have (sloped roof, flat
roof, sloped ceiling, flat ceiling, attic, etc.). If this is a for-real
post by you, it would help if you could explain better what is there now.
And, even a couple of photos from the inside and outside would probably help
(via http://tinypic.com/ for example).

"Andy" wrote in message ...
A friend asked me to repair a roof leak.

During rain, he gets water leaking around a light fixture.

I thought about drilling a small hole from around the fixture thru the roof and shingles in order to narrow down the location.

I could then re-shingle that area.

What do you think ?

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks,
Andy

Sometimes running a hose on a portion of the roof, then checking for leaks will save having to deal with it in the rain.

Look for areas where rain can get underneath flashing, like valleys, around chimneys and vents, where the roof meets a wall, etc.

On 1/8/2015 1:30 PM, Andy wrote:

The owner is not willing to spend money to do the job right. :-(
He has five buckets to catch the water. :-)
I am surprised that none of the lights have shorted out.

Andy


I'd apologize that I was busy, and slowly back
away from this job. And never go back.

It's a disaster in the making, with you as the
culprit when your patch doesn't work.

-
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..