Ice Dam | Leak in new addition

Saturday, 09 January 2010 22:53

Finding a winter roof leak due to ice dams on a slate roof.

 

Ice dam roof leak on a new addition.This leak is showing up on the ceiling of the main house below the upper arrow and in between the lower arrows (pointing to the interior french doors connecting the main house to addition)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some comments from professional roofers.

Axiom;

I am guessing that it is building up in the gutter and getting under perimeter metal.  Joe Sherwood Roofing   N. Michigan


 

Shangle Nailer;

I think it is a leak from an ice damn on the rear eaves of the main house. Getting in the wall up there and showing above the interior door into the addition. never shown before because there was no additon!   Richmond VA.


 

Rosco;

If there is a vapor barrier above deck it could be from the wall, I suppose. The skylight is not the source? Oshkosh WI.  Lakewood Roofing, Inc.


 

Tinner 666;

I see scads of ice around that DS and molding, and running down the wall. You haven't said it getting into the top of the window, just on the floor, I assume below and to the side of it.
Water seems to coming through the fascia from the BIG, at the DS, so I guess it's coming through the wall there.  Central Virginia  Albert's Specialty Roofing


 

Cerberus;

Was the weep system in the exterior brick-masonry wall covered up? Not that it would be the cause of a leak over the French doors, but certainly could show up along interior walls now.
Ice damming along gutter is a possibility, as is condensation dripping from the skylight. 

Is that built-in gutter that feeds that downspout? If so, I suspect they are frozen solid, and water has begun to back up and leak along the walls. And it also looks like there may be a water-table involved.     Houston Texas


 

jwoolfsroofing;

I'm guessing that the leak originates at dormer window(2nd floor)and runs between brick and framed wall and showing up on 1st floor ceiling where opening is to addition.   Barberton  Ohio   www.woolfsroofing.com


 Source of ice dam roof leak over new room addition.

As noted by some above, the source of the ice dam leak is the built in gutter and it's downspout. The gutter, eave and roof are warmed by the heat escaping from a poorly insulated house. The water from melting snow runs down the cold downspout and freezes into a solid block of ice inside the downspout. Having nowhere to go, the water in the gutter backs up and out of the seam of the gutters outlet / downspout connection. It then finds it's way behind and into the space between the exterior brick wall and interior plaster wall and comes out at the interior ceiling and new addition entry way.

This could have been prevented if the gutter outlet had been fabricated and installed to extend all the way through and below the soffit. There would still be a problem with ice in and backing out of the lowered outlet / downspout seam, but the water would be running down the outside of the house and not leaking inside.

 

 Gutter downspout leak caused by ice dam.

 Built in gutter outlet / downspout connection joint inside the house soffit.



 

Last Updated on Wednesday, 13 January 2010 17:32
 

Roof Ice Dam | Soffit Vents

Saturday, 26 December 2009 16:26

Ice dam prevention. The importance of open ventilation at the soffit, or roof eave of the house, to prevent snow melt, ice dams, and the resultant leaks from occurring during winter.

 

A short video that includes an attic smoke / ventilation test. Photos and video of hot air escaping from an attic that has had it's soffit vents painted shut and blocked from the inside.

 

 

Last Updated on Tuesday, 29 December 2009 15:30
 

Copper Gutters | Solder. Don't caulk

Tuesday, 20 October 2009 00:24

 Caulking copper gutters instead of Soldering?

copper_gutters_caulk

The main reason for installing copper gutters instead of aluminum or galvanized is because they will last much longer and the seams can be  soldered for a permanent seal. Not temporarily caulked with aluminum gutter sealant. It also helps to put strainers in the outlets to keep out the tennis balls.

Last Updated on Monday, 28 December 2009 19:01
 

Roof Flashing | Soil Stack

Tuesday, 08 December 2009 16:54

It was just my opinion, based on personal professional experience, concerning the economic ramifications of repairing an old slate roof versus replacing same in my last post. But it is the customers opinion that counts. And the customers opinion was that the old slate had enough charm and added something to the asthetics of the house to warrant keeping and repairing the slate roof.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 08 December 2009 18:27
 

Old Slate Roof Repair

Thursday, 22 October 2009 01:24
Often I come across a slate roof that’s just not worth repairing.  

 

Today I received a call from a local home construction contractor asking if I could give an estimate on installing a new pipe flashing on a plumbing stack he was replacing. He was remodeling a bathroom in a century home nearby. After a cursory inspection of the roof it was decided to replace the stack flashing and also the cast iron soil pipe. The lead stack flashing looked like it was the original and was in terrible shape and there had already been prior repairs.

Last Updated on Sunday, 29 November 2009 23:16
 
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