Roof repair
Finding the leak, not just the stain
Nanaimo Roofers traces roof leaks and repairs flashing, valleys and penetrations across Nanaimo, Lantzville and Gabriola Island. Nanaimo carries a one-day rainfall of 91 mm and a driving-rain wind pressure of 200 Pa, so water arrives sideways as often as straight down.
A leak is two problems. Where the water lands is the one that gets noticed; where it enters is the one that has to be fixed.
Water travels before it drips
Water that gets past the covering runs along the underside of the sheathing and down a rafter until something stops it. By the time it reaches drywall it can be several feet from the opening, on a different plane of the roof, or on the far side of a wall. A repair aimed at the stain fixes the ceiling and not the roof.
Where roofs on this coast actually fail
Flashing at walls and chimneys, open and closed valleys, and every penetration through the deck: vents, stacks, skylights, mounts. Then the laps, which the code sets at not less than 50 mm at heads and ends, overlapping the eave protection by at least 100 mm. Age matters less than detail — a twelve-year-old roof with a poor chimney flashing leaks long before a thirty-year-old field of shingles gives out.
Sideways rain is the local variable
Nanaimo takes 1,000 mm of rain a year, a one-day rainfall of 91 mm on the 1-in-50 event, a 1-in-50 hourly wind pressure of 0.50 kPa, and a driving-rain wind pressure of 200 Pa. A detail that sheds a vertical drip can still admit water pushed uphill under a shingle course by wind. This is why leaks here often appear only in specific storms and stay dry through weeks of ordinary rain.
Repair, or replace
A repair is the right call where the field of the roof has life left and the failure is a detail. Replacement is the right call where the granules are gone, the deck is soft over an area, or the same repair has already been made twice. The inspection says which, in writing, before anything is quoted.
What a repair visit covers
The roof, the attic where there is access, and the exterior wall below the suspected entry. Photographs of what is found before anything is opened up, and again after. Where a repair cannot be made watertight on the visit, the roof is temporarily covered and the return date is set before the crew leaves.
What's included
Leak tracing and diagnosis
Flashing repair and replacement
Valley and penetration repair
Temporary weather protection
People also ask
How is a leak traced without tearing the roof apart?
From the attic first, following the run back up the sheathing to the highest point of wetting, then to that point on the roof surface. Opening up is a last step, not a first one.
Can a leak be repaired in the rain?
A temporary cover can go on in almost any weather. A permanent repair needs a dry surface for the sealant and the underlay to bond, so the two are usually separate visits.
Why did a roof that passed inspection start leaking?
An inspection reports what is visible on the day. A flashing that is sound in still conditions can still admit water under a 200 Pa driving rain, and that combination may not occur for months.
Does a repair void anything?
Work by a different contractor can affect a manufacturer's material warranty on the covering. The scope names what is being disturbed so that question can be asked of the warranty holder before, not after.
Keep exploring
- What a new roof costsInstalled price by material, and what moves it on a given roof.
- Permits by communityWho issues the permit for an address, and what each authority asks for.
- Where the work isThe communities covered across the Regional District of Nanaimo.
- New roof installationFull tear-off, deck repair, underlay and architectural shingles or standing seam metal. A fixed price, with the sheathing unknowns listed separately.
- Moss removal and roof maintenanceLow-pressure moss treatment, ridge strips, and a spring and fall inspection interval that catches damage while it is still a repair.
- Nanaimo Roofers home