ROOF LEAK ON NEW METAL ROOF

OMG!!, NOT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!


Had the new metal roof installed over the old low sloop flat roof, Replaced the forced hot air gas furnace with a hot water gas fired Boiler. Everything was running fine last Winter. At 1:30 AM this Morning, I was in the Bathroom, and thought I heard the Toilet leaking. No leak on the Toilet. Then, I looked at the window sill. Water was dripping off the Window sill. I looked at the wall to the right of the Window. 3 lines of WATER RUNNING DOWN THE WALL FROM THE BATHROOM CEILING!! I go upstairs this Morning, and checked the walls in the Bedrooms and the Bathroom. No leaks or wetness so, far. I knocked some icicles off of the over hang around the gutters and noticed some ice in the vents on the overhang of the new metal roof. Knocked those off, Had the upstairs boiler set at 65. So I don't see how that could cause heat loss. Turned it down to 56 Degrees..

Called Contractor that installed the new Metal roof twice this Morning. Never returned calls.

Any suggestions on what is now causing this leak and ice build up ? 14 inches of blown in insulation in the attic..

What's the slop on the metal now? Nobody around here will install steel less than 4:12 pitch.

It was 3:12 before, they added some boards to increase the slope; when they installed the Metal roof.

Sounds like a condensation build up from frozen vents or sewer vent. maybe gutters freezing and backing up in soffets. I'd be in the attic checking out vent fan ducting and such first, then any pipes/chimneys that go through the roof.

Man I feel bad for you.

Metal roofs never leak- ever. The fasteners, flashings, and valleys almost always leak and it is an installer issue or a problem matching the correct materials to your needs. B4 yall spend money on metal hit me up for my do's and don'ts. Roofers who have been doing it for years mean they screwed it down and the check cashed. I am the hard (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) that gets called when the muffed it and they to it at least 50% of the time

Only vent, would be the vent for the toilets. Got a Septic system. That is working great. No power vent fans. There are roof vents on the regular shingle part of the roof on the front part of the house.

If you have water downstairs but not upstairs, I think I'd be suspecting a waterline leaking in the first floor ceiling. You are not going to have a roof leak that avoids the second story and shows up on the first floor.

Be sure to check around ceiling light fixtures for standing water

Show us some pix. You may have ice dams packed way up your roof. Your contractor should at least stop out and take a look. Here in SE PA we have been dealing with numerous leaks due to ice dams. I go out immediately to past customers and inspect the leak and try to help. Drive over the contractor's place and show him pix, let him have a chance at making it right.

leak from ceiling down along the wall in the 1st floor Bathroom

Water running down the bathroom wall

Plasterboard bubbling out in the middle of the 2nd floor bedroom to the left of the 2nd floor bathroom

Ice around vents on the overhang of the roof.

This new leak happened in the exact same spot as the old leak, which was the reason for replacing the heating system and putting the metal roof on.. Checked the lights , toilet up stairs, sinks. no leaks.

Yep, ice dams. How is the low slope metal roof tied into the main house wall? perhaps ice water is packed up over the flashing. If you can, use a shop broom or plastic shovel and get as much snow off. Drill a hole in the ceiling and let the water drain out into a bucket. I saw a guy's ceiling come down 'cause the water kept accumulating without a drain hole.

After the meltdown, pick up some gutter heater wires and keep the gutters from freezing. I think that is the culprit.

But you DO have water on the upstairs walls ?? If your heating system penetrates the roof, you could have an ice dam down slope of that penetration. Water backing up and running into incorrectly flashed exhaust

Agree it could also be the gutters. Don't wait around to get it checked. You don't want the ceiling coming down

This is a guess but an educated one. This can happen to any roof in the right circumstance. When snow melts and freezes and then starts to melt again if it's still frozen at the bottom edge of your roof but the upper part of your roof starts to melt the water will back up and will find a way in. There are only (2) ways that I know of to stop this on a roof (1st) is to silicone the overlap on the metal sheets (preferably as they are put on). I put a metal roof on my old camper that has 2:12 maybe 3:12 pitch and have never had a leak. (2nd) is if you use those heating elements that you string across your roof and down your gutter. I know this can happen even on high pitch roofs. My old boss had this problem because he has skylights that would allow the peak of the roof to melt while the bottom was still frozen. He used option (2). I'm not positive if this is your problem but it sounds like it. Good luck.

No water on the upstairs, yet. The Gas fired hot water boiler vents directly to the outside side wall. . That boiler is in the furnace room that is next to the upstairs bedroom.

Gutter backed up or metal could be lapped the wrong way.
Seen both a time or two. Lol

Yes lapped the wrong direction could be an issue too but you obviously have water coming from somewhere





If this is on the second floor why do you say ...."no water upstairs yet" ?????????????

Just based on this I'd say there is water getting into the soffit. If not, you wouldn't have an icicle at that point.

Gotta be a n ice dam Bob

Was it a metal roof on the last roof ?

Your water issue is the result of an ice dam. Improper ventilation and also lack of insulation in attic. You want the attic space as near as outside temp as you can get it. With units being installed in attic spaces, improper duct installation, heat escapes into attic and creates this situation when snow conditions exist. Probably nothing wrong with the roof as you probably had previous weather on it with no problems. Add to your attic insulation and I am a firm advocate of ridge vents. It appears you have soffit vents so that should solve your problem

No way could i get by with gutters on my metal roof even in these temps the south and west eaves are dripping coupled with 6 in. of snow for insulation Bad news

I think White hit the nail on the head. I had a similar issue and the soffit was slightly pitched toward the house. Did exactly what you described. Is it possible the aluminum fascia is allowing water to get behind it somehow and then flowing into the soffit?

Canvasback, that sounds like an issue I had after having a new metal roof installed. Mine ended up being a leak around the vents through the roof for the bathroom plumbing. the contractor put elbows on the vent pipes but it ended up being the gaskets? or whatever they are called around the vents. He had to upgrade the gaskets/boots to get the leak stopped. It sounds like your leak is about the same place mine was. Good luck.

The roofers likely forgot to install ice shield under the shingles/tin roof.

I have a metal roof on a poorly insulated hundred year old house and don't experience ice damming. The roofing itself acts as its own drip edge. Is your roofing seamless from peak to eave?

A quick band aid fix I have done on a ice dammed roof. I filled long socks with rock salt and laid across the ice dam from the liquid water across the ice to the edge of roof. Melts through dam and lets water drain away. Then put a few fresh ones up there and they will last till spring meltdown.

What is going through the roof old chimney,plumbing vent pipe, bathroom exhaust vent? Any ice built up on the roof eaves? Is the roof covered with snow?

Ice on the edge of the roofs. The old chimney is no longer used. Hot water tanks power vented from Basement to the side walls.. Bathroom exhaust vent for toilets are in the roof. They are not plugged

The old roof was Rubber Roof

Contractor finally called back.. He will be here Tomorrow Morning. He knows I am NOT HAPPY !!

Water is backing up and entering where the tin laps, soffit should be vented the whole way you have more solid panels than vented, the peak also should be vented, it is also important to make sure insulation is not blocking your ventilation, with use of proper vents.

Boco hit it. Ice blocker, ice shield not installed. If it’s not wrapped down onto the fascia water will migrate under the metal roof and find a way into the exterior wall and come out many feet into the house. “

Vented soffit panels don't mean squat if there is no way for the air to get up to the ridge vent.
Alot of older houses are sealed tight at the plate line.

pudge has it right , I've done lots of house up north, not enough vent to move air and keep attic cold

ive been selling metal roofing for decades. low pitch roofing should have rope caulk installed at overlap. or standing seal used.

but the pictures do show ice damming and maybe no ice and water shield
here in pa on low slope roofs we recommend it over the whole roof area

I’m with pudge also, lack of ventilation coupled with ice damming is a recipe for this issue. Get more air flow into your attic and it certainly won’t hurt.

x3

X4
When they tore off the rubber roof was their insulation on top of the plywood and how much ? Was the plywood rotten just in the over hang or all over ? I am understanding right that you where having trouble with the old roof right ?It would help to have a picture of how the addition is built,is this how it is?

Hopefully your contractor can find the problem and be fixed easily.

If there are gutters on that roof, it will be at least part of the problem, most likely along with not enough pitch. I put steel on my house, about a 8/12 pitch and then installed gutters. On the shady side of my house(North West) I had nothing but trouble with ice dams and leaks just like yours. I had installed Ice/Water 6 feet up the roof also, after doing a full tear off. I still have some minor issues after removing the gutters, and should probably pull the snow off that side when we get a foot + at times, but no where's like before with the gutters installed. I would also check how much steel they ran past the drip edge at the over hang. I'm not sure what is recommended, but I have roughly the same weather as you do, and we run it at least 2-3 inches past. Good luck with it.

If you had trouble with the rubber roof the same way,only in the winter,I`m pretty sure it`s condensation.No matter how much of an ice dam you had on the rubber roof it should of not leaked unless the flashings where coming loose.Unless it was weaping back under,and if done the way we do them that would be impossible.

^^^^ Do you bring the rubber down onto the fascia to keep water from wicking up under the rubber at the edge of the roof?

Contractor showed up at 9:00 AM this Morning. Knocked about 6 inches thick of Ice that was 2 feet wide off the metal roof. Problem is how the design of the low slop roof on the back of the house was put on in the first place. Where the back wall of the house meets the edge of the Low slop roof, which was put on in the 1930s; there is only about 6 inches of space between the roof planks, and the Attic. More distance the further back from the edge of the Low Slope roof, of course. But , that is what I have to deal with when it comes to the edge of the roof.

About the only option I have, is to install electric heat tape along the edge of that roof,, and in the gutter.

Run that heat tape down the downspout and bring the plug out the end.
Downspouts freeze to.

Ice dam Happens to the best of us !! Had a patio room get flooded. Only remedy is ice melt in the gutters and a heat gun . TONS of peoples gutters are falling off so much ice build up. Plus as for leak it can be coming in and running a rafter before it falls. Metal roofs are notorious for that.

Not that much condensation Will deveolop on a roof that has an attic . Were you get lots of it is a heated building that doesn't have attic space between the heat source and roof.

Gutters are backing up allowing water to roll down the inside of the walls.

That is a pretty good diagram of the shape and slope of the roofs on my house. Except when we had the blown in insulation done on the Attic, the only access portion is through a ceiling hatch that goes to the low slope roof. The front part of the house , has no access to the attic . When they did the addition back around 1930 with the low slope roof; they totally blocked off the attic access to the front part of the house. Good thing we switched to a boiler system for the upstairs portion of the house, because if the ductwork in the front attic ever needed to be worked on; there would be no way to get to it without cutting a hole through the wall in the attic in the back part of the house.


Will be glad to sell this house in a couple of years.

You could move !?

WHAT THE HECK..

NOT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9:30 AM this Morning, I am in the Bathroom, and noticed 3 lines of WATER RUNNING DOWN THE BATHROOM WALL, IN THE SAME PLACE AGAIN!!

Took pictures and a video of it . Called Contractor up, who got the ice of the roof this last time. No answer. Left message on answering machine. Got temp set at 56 degrees for the upstairs. Water has been dripping off the metal roof since he got the ice off the roof. Non stop dripping off the roof.

When he was here the last time , I asked if he will fix the wet drywall. His answer????


"That is an INSURANCE PROBLEM. Make a claim on your Homeowners insurance. "

Unbelievable !!!!!!

I'm not convinced this is the contractor's problem.

You had an ice dam. That is an act of nature. Heat tape would have likely prevented this from happening.

My roofs are warrantied for a period of two years against leaks caused by defective materials or poor workmanship. They are not warrantied against disasters/acts of nature, nobody's are.

If the contractor installed the roof according to code I don't see how it is his problem. If he did not, then he fixes it and any resulting damage on his dime or makes a liability insurance claim.

Either way, preventive measures on your part could have avoided this.

I had a customer years ago that called me back and threatened to sue me because the roof of an addition I built was leaking.

I went right over and discovered the remnants of an ice dam that either he or his idiot son had tried chipping away with something like screwdrivers. In the process they poked right through the aluminum valley flashing, the ice and water shield and into the plywood substrate.

I patched it up (and billed him for it) and told him not to call me again or he'd be hearing from my lawyer.

Nothing to worry about until it looks like this.

Just pulled up the exact wording of the Building Permit that he got. He put on the Building Permit "Reroof Asphalt" That would be putting a 2nd layer of new roof shingles on the front pitched roof part of the house; which he did , and did a good job on that.. But, he never listed the new metal roof over the old rubber roof on the back of the house; when he got the Building Permit. The Building inspector also never showed up to inspect the job.

Bob, this whole thing sounds to me like a problem of inadequate slope, inadequate insulation, inadequate ventilation. That doesn't sound to me like the contractor's problem.

I know that's a very old house you are in. It is likely very poorly insulated and sealed. If I were you, and IF I planned to stay in that house, I would tear off the old roof ...right down to the wall plates................and build a new one with a decent pitch and insulate & ventilate it correctly.

You're dealing with a sow's ear silk purse dilemma IMO

Is there not a Proposal or Contract stating his terms, scope of work, materials to be used, start and end dates, warranties, costs, ect. signed by him and accepted by you? It doesn't sound like it if your reading just the building permit.

LOL it was an Ice dam Just looking at pics. I had one on the side of my house that has a 12/12 pitch. Water spot on the ceiling in the garage . Climbed a ladder yesterday with a heat gun and opened up the gutter right were the downspout is. Problem solved . We had 2 rounds of non stop freezing rain followed by 8-10 in of snow. EVERYONE around me had ice dams .Some of the gutters were falling off peoples houses from the frozen solid gitters and 5- 6 foot long ice cicles hanging from them. These houses are 25 years old and have never had water come in. But all that rain and snow and 8 degrees 4 nights in a row was freezing things as they melted .
Tough conditions but bob the builder can put on a roof and it could leak if ice dams form ....

My opinion would be to get rid of the gutters.

JMO...If the water and ice shield is not wrapped over the edge of the sheathing onto the fascia the ice dam will cause the water to go wherever it wants. That includes upward between the water and ice shield and the sheathing or under the sheathing into the soffit and even into the interior of the house.

After all the years since I built my house I have not had any problems . Since we have began to get rain in the winter I have had the glaciers form on my eves and since I built the house before water and ice shield was around I am getting ice/water in the interior of my house. New roof coming next spring!