Roof Valley Leak

A flashing is a transitional roofing material that connects the roof material to some other building material or to another part of the roof.

Roof valley leak.

The resulting cut is very similar to the angle you might see on the tip of a wood chisel. Finding the actual spot where the roof leaks is difficult because water can enter the roof in one place and run down to another before it starts soaking into the ceiling. The goal is to find the leak before the entire roof goes bad. Just like in nature a valley on a roof is designed to collect water.

Valley areas are prone to leak due to the lack of using proper materials. They are common on both hip and gable roofs. Although professional roofers take great care to properly install roof valleys they can be susceptible to roof leaks. In either situation the leaking roof valley can be fixed by removing affected shingles and structural elements and upgrading your roof s flashing.

Roof valley leaks roof valleys are created wherever two roof surfaces intersect to form a shallow v shape. Most roofers that do shingles will use a heavy base paper instead of a rubber membrane. And damaged flashing is behind most roof leaks. The most common cause of a roof leak where metal flashings are used is shingles that have been improperly cut.

Most shingle installers will use a thick 30 lb paper as a base for the valley. When a shingle from either roof intersects and passes over the metal valley flashing it needs to be cut at an angle. If that water doesn t shed off the roof fast enough or gets under the roofing material roof leaks will soon develop. Many roof valley leaks are caused by roofing nails that have been poorly placed and are acting as a dripper feeding water through from the roof above.

And roof leaks in valleys often turn into unsightly repairs. Most roofers that install shingles will not have rubber membranes with them to do such areas. A roof valley is very prone to leaks especially if you have an older roof. When a valley begins to leak it s very difficult to surgically address the leak.

You know the roof is bad if shingles are missing or obviously damaged or when water stains the ceiling or walls. Valleys can be especially troublesome because they carry a lot of water during heavy rain.