How To Repair A Slate Roof Leak

Isolate areas when you run the hose.

How to repair a slate roof leak.

Continue reading at slate roof repair worn out or select a topic from the closely related articles below or see the complete article index. Start low soaking the area just above where the leak appears in the house. The sealants and roof pitch used can crack and chip away over time. Water will reflect light so bring a flashlight along.

On a nice day have a helper tap on the mark while you re on the roof. Details are at slate roof leaks temporary repair once the necessary slates are removed the valley is usually replaced with new heavy copper or on some roofs folks use other flashing materials like aluminum i don t recommend that. Or see these. In most cases to address the flashing problem you will need to remove the damaged slates and replace them with new ones.

You might find problems removing the nail with the slate ripper. Have your helper stay inside the house waiting for the drip to appear. This is by far the most popular type of slate repair and occurs when your slate roof starts leaking around the roof penetration areas that is where the flashing occurs. You can use either a dry bonding gutter or the standard bonding gutter.

With good wire cutters you might also be able to cut off the head of the nail which will help. For example soak the downhill side of a chimney first then each side then the top on both sides. Or see slate roof repairs for a discussion of permanent slate roof repairs rather than the leaky slate roof holding action discussed in the article above. After you pinpoint the location on the exterior of the roof apply roofing cement or new shingles as needed.

Installing a bonding gutter this video shows a roof repair and the fitting of a bonding gutter between a slate and a tiled roof but it will also fit two slate roofs together as well. To do this use the slate ripper to rip off the nail that hooks the slate onto the slate roof. Once you locate the source of the water mark the area. If your roof valley leak is an old repair gone bad consider having a professional repair the leak properly.