leaking roof + insulation recomendation

[leza wang]

Hi

It has been raining like crazy here in Toronto to the point many houses flo oded. I noticed that some part of my roof are leaking. I noticed that in th e attic which has no insulation so the water went to the ceiling and start dropping. It was not that bad. My roof shingles need to be replaced and I w ill do it next year. Meanwhile, is there any material/silicon etc can be us ed to fix the issue from inside temporarily? I was also thinking because th ere is no insulation (I removed it all because it was old and very dusty a nd dirty)that is why the water when to the ceiling. I now understand I need to do the insulation too, do you recommend any type? The attic area is so small roughly 2fx2f or even less.

I can provide with pictures if you like but just there is a problem with up loading pictures now.

Thanks a lot.

[Vic Smith]

Probably a bucket to catch the water is your best bet until you re-roof. When the heavy rains stop it won't be a problem. Rolled batt insulation is probably what you want for an attic. You can google a lot of info on it. Basically you look for R value, thickness, and vapor barrier. No need to get too complicated about it. If you DIY you can ask here I never heard of a 2x2 attic, except maybe a dog house for a small dog. So you've got some more explaining to do.

[passerby]

I think she meant 2'x2' leaking area, not the whole attic ...

[micky]

Even I think you should do this asap. Perhaps you mean the next Jewish year, which iiuc starts some tme in September. That would be better than waiting until January (when roofers don't work, but roofs still leak) or April.

Rain can do a lot of damage!! The guy who did my roof did 3 other houses in sight of mine and they were all happy with his work, and his price was lower than some others. 4 years later, I'm still happy with his work. Get recommendations from friends or neighbors (a good way to get to know your neighbors, but promise yourself you won't blame the n'bor if the guy does a bad job.

It would go to the ceiling anyhow. Insulation is not water-repellant. Even if there's a vapor barrier, it won't be waterproof.

[TomR]

I don't know of any way that you would be able to fix or stop the leak from inside -- not even temporarily.

For other temporary roof fixes, it depends on why and where it is leaking. If it happens to be leaking around where vent pipes or a chimney etc. go up through the roof, you may be able to stop the leak by patching/flashing in that area.

With all of the rain you just had, tons of people will be calling roofers to have them come out and check leak issues. So, the roofers in your area will be busy right now. But, if you can get one or two to come out and tell you what the problem is and what it might cost to fix it, that would be a start.

[bob haller]

waiting risks mold, rotted roof deck and added expenses. borrow the money if you can. if one area is bad try tarpng that area of roof.

rain water could contact electrical and cause a home fire:(

[leza wang]

Thanks all for your replies. Yes attic is too small but I think I was wrong. It is about 4-5f long by 3-4f wide.

I will try to replace the roof these days and i will ask neighbor (good idea they did it last year). Thanks all.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Is OP senile or something? No insulation? HOT summer and COLD winter in the house. When heavy snow falls in winter it may leak too. Detecting origin of leak a bit tricky. It may not be the spot where you see the water stain often times. S/he is waiting for bigger trouble for sure. I am shaking my head.

[Tony Hwang]

Hmmm,

20 sq. ft. attic? Are you sure? Or is it a kid's play house? May be yoiu meant 24x25 ft.?

[trader4]

There is no insulation because she took it out because it was old and dusty and dirty. Good grief. Insulation can get dusty and still perform as insulation. This is yet another example of why I've said she needs to get a competent inspection done on the whole house. Anyone want to bet on the possibility of that insulation that she removed containing asbestos? Holmes show sure finds plenty of it in CA. Think about the consequences of that.

But then Micky will accuse me of "breaking her spirit".

[TomR]

From a whole house photo that you posted previously, it looks like you may have a 2-story bungalow style house with a full basement. It looks like it is about 16 feet across the front and maybe 14 feet from front to back (just guessing).

The front half of the roof slopes up to a ridge that goes the full width of the house and then back down from there in the back. And, it looks like the second floor room or rooms probably have sloping ceilings and a smaller section of a flat ceiling that goes across the width of the house. It looks like the is a window on each end of the house (right and left) on the second floor. Here's a photo of a house from the Internet that looks a little like what you house layout is -- except your house has an open front steps/porch area on one side instead of the enclosed porch/foyer shown in this house:

.

If that's the case, then the attic that you can see (maybe through a hatch opening) is probably just the part that is above that flat ceiling section across the center of the house. And, my guess is that the attic is the full width of the house and maybe 6 feet or so from the front to the back. What that means is that you can only see part of your roof from underneath inside the attic. The rest of the roof on the front and back is also the sloping ceiling of the room or rooms on the second floor.

It looks like nothing is coming up through the roof on the front half, but a gas chimney vent and probably a sewer vent go through the roof on the back.

Any good roofer can go up on your roof and tell you what you need and where any leaks that you see are coming from.