How we trace a leak
Four checks, in this order
We start where you see the water and work back toward the roof. Each step narrows the search, and each one goes in the report with a photo or a reading.
Inside: ceilings and walls with a moisture meter, from the stain outward
The attic: the underside of the deck, the framing, the insulation, daylight
The roof: flashing, vents, valleys, skylights and the surface, tied off
A hose test, only when the first three leave two or more suspects
Where leaks start
The usual suspects
Most start at a joint or a hole in the roof. Each one shows up in a different place indoors.
Step flashing at a side wall
Where a roof runs into a wall. A lifted piece or a missing kickout at the bottom sends water behind the siding, and the stain can appear in a room below.
Chimney flashing
The apron, the counterflashing and the cricket behind it. Water often shows on the wall next to the chimney, not on the ceiling under it.
Pipe boots and vent flanges
Rubber boots split in the sun. A cracked one drips straight down the pipe, so the stain is near a bathroom or kitchen wall.
Skylights
Usually the flashing around the curb, sometimes the seal on the glass. The stain sits at the skylight shaft or a few feet below it.
Valleys
Where two slopes meet and shed a lot of water. Lifted metal or a nail through it shows up as a stain along a ceiling line.
Not a roof leak at all
A bath fan that vents into the attic, or warm air meeting a cold deck. Both soak insulation and stain ceilings. The report tells them apart.
Our name
What a kickout is
The kickout is a small bent piece of metal at the bottom of a roof-to-wall joint. It throws the water into the gutter instead of behind the siding.
Where it goes
At the lower end of a roof edge that runs into a wall, where the gutter starts.
When it's missing
Water runs down the wall, rots the sheathing and shows up inside, often a floor below the roof.
How we find it
A stain low on an outside wall, or a damp corner downstairs. We check this joint first.
About finding leaks
How long does a diagnosis take?
It depends on the roof, how many places there are to check, and whether a hose test is needed. We tell you what to expect when we set the visit.
Do you need to go on the roof?
Usually. For a steep or fragile roof we use a drone and a ladder look first and tell you what we could not check.
Will the hose test damage anything?
No. We use a garden hose at ordinary pressure, one section at a time, and we start low on the roof so a wet spot isn't a false alarm.
What if you can't find it?
The report says what we ruled out and what we could not confirm. We don't guess, and we don't sell a repair we can't connect to a finding.
Want one for your house?
Book a diagnosis, or text a photo of the stain first. The fee comes before the visit.