Roof leak repair
Roof Leak Repair That Finds the Source in Pompano Beach
A ceiling stain tells you there is a leak, not where it is. We follow the water back to where it gets in and repair it there.
Free, no-obligation estimates. We answer the phone or call back the same working day.
Pipe boot reseal
What the job is
Roof Leak Repair in Pompano Beach
Roof leak repair means tracing a leak to the spot where water enters the roof and sealing that spot. We do it on residential and commercial roofs across Pompano Beach: shingle, tile, metal and flat.
The skill is in the tracing. Patching the ceiling, or smearing sealant over the first dark spot on the roof, leaves the real opening where it was, and the next heavy rain finds it again. A repair holds when it is made at the entry point: a lifted piece of "flashing", a split pipe boot, a cracked tile or a worn seal.
If the roof turns out to be leaking in more than one place, or the "decking", the plywood the roof is fastened to, has gone soft, we tell you what we found and what we would do about it before any work starts.
Why a Stain Rarely Sits Under the Leak
Water that gets past the roof covering does not drop straight down. It runs along the "underlayment", the layer under the shingles or tile, then along the seams in the deck and down the rafters and framing, and it only drips where it reaches a low point. So the stain on your ceiling rarely sits under the place where the water gets in.
That is why we start inside, in the attic, and read the wet wood back uphill. The stain is where the trail ends. The repair goes where it starts.
Leak points
Where Roofs Usually Leak
These are the usual leak points, and the first places we look once the water trail leads us up onto the roof.
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A common leak pointFlashing at walls and chimneys
Flashing is the metal that seals the joint where the roof meets a wall or a chimney. When it lifts, rusts or loses its seal, water runs in behind it and down the wall side of the framing.
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Penetrations
Pipe boots and vents
The rubber collar around a plumbing pipe dries out and splits in the sun, and the seal around a roof vent can let go the same way.
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Where slopes meet
Valleys
A valley carries the water off both slopes at once, so a worn or badly set valley is where heavy rain finds its way in.
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Openings
Skylight curbs
The frame a skylight sits on needs its own flashing. When that seal fails, the stain can show up beside the skylight or well downhill of it.
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Tile roofs
Cracked or slipped tiles
A broken or shifted tile leaves the underlayment beneath it bare, and on a tile roof that underlayment is the real waterproofing.
The process
How a Leak Is Traced and Sealed
We work from the stain up to the entry point, make the repair there, and check the deck around it for rot before we leave.
- Start at the stain
We look at the ceiling, then go into the attic above it and find the wet wood nearest the mark.
- Follow the water uphill
We trace the damp trail back along the rafters, the deck seams and the underlayment until it stops.
- Find the opening
On the roof, over the top of that trail, we find what let the water in: flashing, a boot, a valley or a tile.
- Repair it there
We reflash, reseal the boot or replace the broken piece of covering, so the opening is closed for good.
- Check the plywood, then clean up
We probe the sheathing around the repair for soft spots, and we clean up when the work is done.
What it costs
What a Leak Repair Costs
The price of a leak repair depends on what we find at the entry point. Resealing a pipe boot is a smaller job than reflashing a wall or replacing rotten decking, so we give you a number once the leak is traced, not before.
From there the price moves with the roof covering, the pitch, how easy the roof is to get onto and its existing condition. Damaged decking found under the covering is the common hidden cost.
If the patches on your roof keep failing, the repair bills can add up past the cost of a new roof. When we see a roof heading that way, we say so on the call.
A free estimate.
No obligation. We quote the whole job before we start, with no surprise charges after.
- We call back the same working day if we miss you
- We show up when we say we will
- We clean up when the work is done
Monday to Saturday, 8 am to 9 pm. After hours, leave a message and we return it the next working morning.
Related work
Related Roofing Work
These related services each have their own page, and roof replacement is the core of what we do.
A Stain on the Ceiling?
Call and tell us where it shows up. We trace it to the source and quote the repair before we start.
Call for a Free EstimateWe show up when we say we will, and we answer the phone or call back the same working day.