Repairing Valley Leaks In Roofs

Clear any debris in the roof valley and surrounding area.

Repairing valley leaks in roofs.

In these circumstances it may be possible to just leave the existing valley base in place and replace only the cement. Take measurements of your roof flashing most flashing is 14 inches wide but yours may vary. Follow these three preparatory steps to get ready to fix the valley leak. In order to lay the flashing the shingles on the roof will have to be removed.

Look for cracks in the base of flexible rubber flashing or broken seams in metal varieties of vent pipe flashing. The valley base was in excellent condition so didn t need replacing or repairing at all. There are occasions when a roof valley is in good condition but the cement holding the tiles in place has washed out or crumbled. That means replacing or repairing existing flashing instead of using any type of sealant as a leak stopper.

Once the roof valley has begun to leak you will need to cover the valley with flashing in order to prevent a repeat of the problem. In other cases shingles are overlapped to make a valley and water from harsh rains can find a way under the shingles. You should always attempt a mechanical leaky roof fix whenever possible. And you can tar it but it s a real stop gap band aid like measure.

Sometimes an older home s roof is more prone to leaking in the roof valleys because of old repairs. Repair a shingle roof valley leak in 6 easy steps prepare for the repair. Repairing a roof valley involves removing some shingles and installing a. The right thing to do here is to pull a valley basically pull a valley apart and rebuild it.

Only use caulk for very small holes and when flashing isn t an option as a leak stopper. Here are two before and after photos of a valley with newly laid cement. Rarely will caulk or roof cement cure a leaky roof at least for very long. If your roof valley leak is an old repair gone bad consider having a professional repair the leak properly.

The sealants and roof pitch used can crack and chip away over time. And if they put a second layer of shingles on they brought it up the valley but they didn t replace the valley it s probably leaking and cracking and split.