Recognizing and Investigating Roof Leaks

The dreaded ceiling stain: the tell-tale sign of a leak somewhere in your roofing system. If you find a ceiling stain in your home or business, you should know the proper steps to take. Investigating roof leaks and identifying the underlying issue is crucial before it leads to something more severe.

Investigate the Ceiling Stain

How bad is the ceiling stain? Is it just a watermark or is your drywall wet? Knowing the severity of the leak is first on the list, as you don’t want your ceiling falling in. Using a ladder or step-stool, carefully touch the stain to ensure the drywall isn’t wet before proceeding. If it is wet, your problem could be more severe and you should contact Clyde Nettles Roofing as soon as possible. 

Assuming it is not wet to the touch…

With a Flashlight, Venture into the Attic

Make sure you know which side of the home below has the stain, and begin looking in that area. Keep in mind many times a slow leak will begin on the roof, trickle down to a rafter, and then follow a path down to your insulation and ceiling. Rarely do you ever see water dripping straight down from the roofline. If that happens, more than likely you have debris damage and will need professional help with the repair.

Finding the Access Point

After identifying the stain line on a roof rafter, follow that stain upwards and see if you can tell where the water is accessing the rafter. Many times you can see a small stain on the plywood or roof under layer that leads you to the rafter.

If Possible, Find the Issue on the Exterior Roof

Now that we’ve located the general location inside the attic, we should have a good idea of where it is on the actual roof. If you are comfortable with safely inspecting your own roof and have the proper safety equipment to do so, you can further trace down the main issue with your roof leak. However, if you do not have the proper safety gear or ability to do this, simply contact Clyde Nettles and we’ll send out one of our professionals for free to inspect your roof.

If you do safely inspect your roof with extreme caution and wearing the proper safety gear – here are the things to look for:

• Obvious damage from limbs or debris
• Cracked, torn or aged flashing around chimneys, pipes or vents
• Missing or damaged shingles
• Nails that have backed up out of your shingles

If you notice any of these issues, reach out to Clyde Nettles Roofing immediately. We can help you take care of any roof leaks quickly and get your home back safe and secure for the next rainstorm.

Our vastly experienced staff has over 50+ years of combined roofing experience and they know how to repair all issues leading to roof leaks.

Clyde Nettles Roofing, proud to be locally owned & family operated for over 73 years. Work with us and find out why we are South Carolina’s most trusted roofer!