Perplexing Tile Roof Leaks

The case of the outside wall.

Perplexing tile roof leaks.

If the roof is in a tree zone leaves are washed into the watercourses and over time this leads to clogging and eventually blockage during heavy rain. Sometimes the water shows up at a ceiling spot distant from the leak. For this you will need to remove all damaged tiles using a pry bar. The first leak seemed simple enough.

Dirty or broken watercourses. The resultant overflow will cause leaks. If your roof is old the chances are that your tiles have been fixed using mortar. Use a hammer to assist in the removal but be careful not to damage any of the good tiles.

The water courses will leak and on concrete roof tiles water will also leak over the upstream edge of the tile. While some issues will go beyond your roof and will be related to other things to do with roofing or the installation methods some of the common issues with clay tiles are. And once in awhile even professionals are baffled by a roof leak and must do a little detective work. More discussion on walking on fragile roofs is later in this article.

Clay tiles may leak because of several reasons. There is no such thing as a tile roof leak where the repair can be done without first deconstructing the area of tiles and flashing. The anatomy of a proper pipe flashing there are two main components to a pipe flashing. Our photo above left shows broken clay roof tiles a very common clay tile roof defect that is also a common leak source.

It must be sealed below the tiles. If your ceiling has a plastic vapor barrier between the drywall and the attic insulation push the insulation aside and look for flow stains on the plastic often water runs to openings in the vapor barrier such as at ceiling light fixtures. We recommend against walking on clay tile roofs as you are likely to damage the roof leading to the need for costly repairs. Some leaks are so inexplicable only a highly trained professional can figure them out.

Consequently i have been hired to track down some of the toughest leaks in town.