Shine a flashlight along the underside of the roof and look for a hole in the roof as well as areas that are wet or have been.
How to fix a leaky roof in winter.
Locate the source of the leak by examining the underside of the roof from within your attic or crawl space.
You can t fix a leaky roof from the inside so don t even try.
The board must be 2 feet longer than the tarp s width and it should sit against the roof to avoid the collection of rainwater snow or debris.
Isolate areas when you run the hose.
If you plan to replace shingles in the winter it can be done but you have to add something to bond the shingles together.
Identify the potential source of the leak.
Dig out any cracked or dry caulking that isn t properly sealing adjoining surfaces and replace with silicone caulk.
Make use of the flame carefully on the curled shingle edges.
How to repair a leaky roof from inside the house.
Fix this board to your roof using a screw as a temporary anchor.
While temperature is below freezing at 7 degrees and ot.
For example soak the downhill side of a chimney first then each side then the top on both sides.
Start low soaking the area just above where the leak appears in the house.
This step ensures the tarp stays taut and fully protective.
This will freeze the leaking water in place but you ll still need to deal with the ice dam or it will melt and start leaking again.
Replace any missing or rotted siding above the step flashing on dormers.
Sandwich the tarp by nailing a second 2 x 4 board to the first.
Recaulk the corner flashing if any areas have hardened caulk.
The purpose is to keep the shingle tabs down in high winds.
The roof shingles should be softened and flattened as the shingles tend to curl up in winter.
You nail shingles to the roof of course but each shingle has a tar strip on it that causes it to stick to the shingle that overlaps it.
To stop the leak use a long handled roof rake to remove snow from your roof or blow cold air onto the area of the roof that is leaking in your attic using a box fan.
Now is a time when you can start planning if you know where to start.
If a leak is difficult to find enlist a helper and go up on the roof with a garden hose.