Temorary roof repair from attic

[Tony Sivori]

I live in one of the areas that was hit this week by a major ice storm.

An ice laden tree branch fell from a tree near the house an unfortunately poked a small (about three quarters of an inch) hole through the shingles and roof deck.

The roof is still ice covered and for my safety I'd rather not go up there. Which leaves me to try to make a temporary patch from below.

The best thing I can think of is to use canned expanding foam from below, perhaps poking a hole in the bottom of a plastic cup, and filling the cup from the bottom with the open end of the cup against the hole.

Anyone else successfully made a temporary roof patch from the attic side? If so, how did you do it?

[RickH]

That sounds like a good way to do it till spring. Maybe a pan in the attic to catch any resiudual leakage before it messes up your drywall.

[dpb]

Tony Sivori wrote: ...

...

Sounds reasonable in the short term until the ice melts and to minimize any direct entry.

There will be, of course, more damage than just the hole that will need repairing when it warms up again but if the serious leak problem is that small you're probably in decent shape until can get up there.

I presume this means the limb is still there as well, or did it come on down after the hit? If it's there still, you'll want to get up there when you can to get if off, obviously at which time can inspect and decide where/how much repair is required in the short term as opposed to "can wait"...

[ransley]

Cold foam takes hours to cure, maybe put it on and screw wood or cardboard to hold it in place. Foam in can is sprayed with can upside down or air comes out, it might get a bit of foam in a new can. Adding on a longer hose can make the foam barely come out. I would not use a real cold can. But it sounds like a small hole.

[Tony Sivori]

You're right. I'm just looking for a temporary repair until I can get inspections, estimates, and the insurance company's involvement. Damage in the Louisville KY area is widespread enough that just getting estimates will take a while, and of course actual repair will be even an longer wait.

Yep, it is still decorating my roof. It is a fair sized branch, larger in diameter than my arm but smaller than my leg.

Here's a photo:

[ransley]

For something that small you should consider just paying someone to fix it now, its probably as much or less than your deductable

[Heathcliff]

The foam sounds like as good an idea as any. But mostly likely there will still be leakage, you'd be surprised what a puddle it can make from a small hole. So the main thing is to have something to put under it to catch the drips. The drips may come down somewhere downhill from the hole itself. If you have one of those cheap plastic kiddy pools, stick that up there; otherwise the biggest pan or tub or whatever you can find. -- H

[benick]

Cold foam takes hours to cure, maybe put it on and screw wood or cardboard to hold it in place. Foam in can is sprayed with can upside down or air comes out, it might get a bit of foam in a new can. Adding on a longer hose can make the foam barely come out. I would not use a real cold can. But it sounds like a small hole.

Maybe take a 4inch by 4 inch square piece of plywood or similar add some silicon caulking to the top and screw it up with small screws..Add a bucket under it and you should be good for a while....It will keep the critters out better than cardbosrd and foam...You could throw up a rope with a loop in it to drag the branch off...

[Bob F]

I haven't done it, but here's an idea.

Clean out the hole from below as best you can. Put some warmed up asphalt roof cement in a small paper cup. Place the top of the cup over the hole, then push firmly on the bottom to force the cement up through the hole. Tape the cup in place to keep the cement in place. You could start by smearing the sides of the hole with the cement first to get a good bond, and push cement in between the various roofing layers.

[norminn]

Good grief! For a hole that size, stick a cork in it and put a smidgen of caulk around on the inside....should be good enough until weather is decent. Call ins. co. anyway, since you don't know for sure the extent of the damage. Sounds like things are pretty awful up there. Stay safe :o)

[Tony Sivori]

That was a problem. But I did manage to get a decent amount of foam in the hole; hopefully water won't pour in when the snow and ice finally melt.

I'll try that of the foam doesn't hold. I hope I don't have to go back up there. I have a low slung hip roof, and it is more like a crawl space than attic.

I hadn't thought of the squirrels. If they get in I will have trouble.

I'd rather throw it off, if I can. Dragging it off might damage the roof more, but in a way the gutters are more important since they are so far undamaged.

[Tony Sivori]

The electric has gone out twice today, just for a few minutes. I think they're turning it off once in while just to remind me how lucky I am to have power. :-)

[Colbyt]

As you said or wet/dry roof cement liberally smeared with a bucket underneath.

A small cheap funnel might be able to be glued into place with either method to direct the inevitable flow.

Good luck from Lexington.

[Bubba]

Tony, That spray foam isnt waterproof. If you are going up in the attic, why not bring up a saw, and cut the limb off flush. You could even bring a drill and drill the branch out so it is just above the shingle line. Then get a tube of roof tar (made for a caulking gun) and caulk it shut. If the hole is too big just add a board nailed between the two roof joists. Reasonably simple and just the cost of the tube of roof tar caulking. Bubba

[Tony Sivori]

It does say water resistant on the can. No the same as water proof, I know, but it might be good enough for a month or two.

I should have been more clear in the original post; the branch that penetrated the roof must have bounced or rolled from the exact spot of impact. It is not currently sticking through the roof, there is only an empty hole where it did penetrate.

Already have one. Pack rattery sometimes pays off.

That is similar to what I was thinking of doing if the foam doesn't hold. I have plenty of felt paper on hand. I was thinking of cutting out a square the size of about four shingles and using the roofing tar to glue it down on the roof over the hole once the snow and ice has melted.

[RickH]

If the weather is anything like Illinois now, no roofer will take the job until the ice gone. And any roofer that does take the job... you wont be able to contact again in the spring when it starts leaking because it couldn't be done properly now with all this ice.

[Red Green]

Tony Sivori wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I've read the other replies as I went down the threads I kept saying why spray foam? I mean they make wet/dry roofing patch. Finally!, a bit down someone also came up with the novel idea.

As far as a catch for anything that does leak, use a drywall bucket. It'll hold 4.5 gal you can carry and it will fit through the scuttle access if that's what you have.

As mentioned:

Give the rim of a plastic funnel a good coat of roofing cement and stick it to the roof. Bucket below the funnel. Put a good width board across the truss chords/ceiling joists to put the bucket on and in the right place. Don't want the bucket filling with water and tipping over or falling through!

Hopefully the roof cement will prevent leaking and you won't have to worry about frequently checking bucket. Might want to take some pics from the attic side before doing anything should you make an insurance claim.

[clare]

Fibrated roofing cement, slathered onto a 6" square of 3/8" plywood jammed up against the roof sheathing and fastened with 4 screws long enough to JUST go through both layers of wood. Stuff the hole full of roofing cement with your putty knife just before applying the patch.

Bulldog Wet Stik or an equivalent deigned for patching in the wet would be my choice.

[Tony Sivori]

I'm just looking for a temporary patch, one that will last long enough to get estimates for a proper repair.

Many of the suggestions in this thread would be good for a semi permanent patch.

But I have my doubts about those. I think all patches from the bottom are likely to result in water getting between the shingles and felt paper, and eventually soaking the roof deck. Not a situation that you want to let continue over time.

Already done.

Once the ice melts I'm expecting to find many damaged shingles, so I'm guessing there will be a claim.

[cshenk]

Maybe you can get a cheap kitty litter pan up there under it to help? Tarp under it? Then glue a sort of funnel of plastic (duct tape wont be as good as cheap rubber cement for this I think) to make sure drips hit the catpan. You'd have to check it pretty often come first sign of melt but might work. Havr to have a way to empty the catpan. Syphon it off like I do my fishtank (hose in water, cap on end with finger, put that in lower container and let loose and it flows out by natural physics).